Oak  Street 
UNCLASSIFIED 


x  HE  URSINUS  BULLETIN 


Vol.  13,  No.  4 

Four,,,  Quarter, 

1913 

Inauguration  of 


George  Leslie  Omwake 


as 


President  of  Ursinus  College 


Entered  at  the  Post  Office  at  Collegeville, 
*  Pennsylvania,  as  Second-class  Mail  Matter 


THE  URSINUS  BULLETIN 


Fourth  Quarter,  1913 


Inauguration  of 

George  Leslie  Omwake 

as 

President  of  Ursinus  College 

October  7,  1913 


Volume  13,  Number  4 


Published  by 
Ursinus  College 
Collegeville,  Pa. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/inaugurationofgeOOunse 


GEORGE  LESLIE  OMWAKE 


Order  of  the  Exercises 


TEN  O'CLOCK 

Band  Concert  on  the  Campus 

ELEVEN  O'CLOCK 

ACADEMIC  PROCESSION 

Escort  of  Students 

Marshal 

The  Retiring  President 
The  President-elect 

The  Honorary  President  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
The  Rev.  James  W.  Meminger,  D.D. 

The  President  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
President  John  Grier  Hibben,  Ph.D.,  LL.D. 

The  Directors  of  the  College 
The  Guests  to  be  presented  for  Honorary  Degrees 

Delegates  from  Educational  Institutions 
Other  Representatives 

The  Faculty  of  the  College 
The  Alumni 


3 


THE  INAUGURATION 


Hymn  by  the  Students,  "How  Firm  a  Foundation" 

How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of  the  Lord, 
Is  laid  for  your  faith  in  His  excellent  Word! 
What  more  can  He  say  than  to  you  He  hath  said, 
Who  unto  the  Saviour  for  refuge  have  fled? 

Fear  not,  I  am  with  thee,  oh,  be  not  dismayed, 

For  I  am  thy  God,  and  will  still  give  thee  aid; 

I'll  strengthen  thee,  help  thee,  and  cause  thee  to  stand, 

Upheld  by  My  righteous,  omnipotent  hand. 

When  through  fiery  trials  thy  pathway  shall  lie, 
My  grace,  all-sufficient,  shall  be  thy  supply; 
The  flame  shall  not  hurt  thee;  I  only  design 
Thy  dross  to  consume,  and  thy  gold  to  refine. 

The  soul  that  on  Jesus  hath  leaned  for  repose, 
I  will  not,  I  will  not  desert  to  his  foes; 
That  soul  though  all  hell  should  endeavor  to  shake, 
I'll  never,  no  never,  no  never  forsake ! 

Scripture  reading  and  prayer 

The  Rev.  James  W.  Meminger,  D.D.,  '84 

The  Induction  into  office 

H.  E.  Paisley,  President  of  the  Board 

Address 

Rev.  A.  Edwin  Keigwin,  D.D.,  Retiring  President 

Inaugural  Address 

George  Leslie  Omwake,  Pd.D.,  President 

4 


Order  of  the  Exercises 


Hymn  by  the  Students,  "O  God,  Our  Help  in  Ages  Past" 

O  God,  our  help  in  ages  past, 

Our  hope  for  years  to  come, 
Our  shelter  from  the  stormy  blast, 

And  our  eternal  home! 

Under  the  shadow  of  Thy  throne 

Thy  saints  have  dwelt  secure; 
Sufficient  is  Thine  arm  alone, 

And  our  defence  is  sure. 

Before  the  hills  in  order  stood, 

Or  earth  received  her  frame, 
From  everlasting  Thou  art  God, 

To  endless  years  the  same. 

A  thousand  ages  in  Thy  sight 

Are  like  an  evening  gone; 
Short  as  the  w%tch  that  ends  the  night 

Before  the  rising  sun. 

Time  like  an  ever-rolling  stream, 

Bears  all  its  sons  away; 
They  fly,  forgotten,  as  a  dream 

Dies  at  the  opening  day. 

O  God,  our  help  in  ages  past, 

Our  hope  for  years  to  come, 
Be  Thou  our  guard  while  life  shall  last, 

And  our  eternal  home. 


Address  of  the  Day 

John    Grier    Hibben,    Ph.D.,    LL.D.,    President,  Princeton 
University 


Conferring  of  Honorary  Degrees 
Benediction 

Rev.  David  Van  Horne,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President  Emeritus, 
Central  Theological  Seminary 


5 


The  Inauguration 

one  o'clock 
Luncheon  to  Delegates,  Guests  and  Alumni 

two  o'clock 

Presentation  of  Delegates  in  the  Auditorium 
Music  by  the  Band 

ADDRESSES 
on  behalf  of  Educational  Bodies 

The  College  Presidents'  Association  of  Pennsylvania, 

Chancellor  Samuel  Black  McCormick,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Univer- 
sity of  Pittsburgh 

The  National  Education  Association, 

President  Joseph  Swain,  LL.D.,  Swarthmore  College 

The  Pennsylvania  State  Educational  Association, 
Superintendent  David  A.  Harman,  President,  Hazleton 

The  Alumni  of  Ursinus  College, 

Professor  Philip  H.  Fogel,  Ph.D.,  '01,  Princeton  University 

The  State  Normal  Schools, 

Principal  George  Morris  Philips,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  West  Chester 
State  Normal  School 

The  Academies, 

Head  Master  William  M.  Irvine,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  The  Mercers- 
burg  Academy 

6 


Order  of  the  Exercises 

The  Colleges, 

President  Henry  H.  Apple,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Franklin  and  Marshall 
College 


The  Universities, 

Provost   Edgar  Fahs   Smith,   Sc.D.,   LL.D.,  University  of 
Pennsylvania 


INTRODUCTION  OF  DELEGATES 


EIGHT  O'CLOCK 


Reception  by  President  and  Mrs.  Omwake 
Freeland  Hall 


7 


Chronicle 


At  a  regular  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
Ursinus  College,  held  in  Norristown,  Pennsylvania,  on  No- 
vember 18,  1912,  George  Leslie  Omwake,  A.M.,  Pd.D.,  Vice 
President,  and  Professor  of  the  History  and  Philosophy  of 
Education,  was  unanimously  elected  president  of  the  college 
to  succeed  the  Rev.  A.  Edwin  Keigwin,  D.D.,  resigned. 
At  the  next  annual  meeting  following,  held  at  the  college 
on  June  10,  191 3,  it  was  moved  and  ordered  that  October 
7,  1913,  be  set  apart  for  the  formal  induction  of  the  presi- 
dent-elect into  office.  A  committee  consisting  of  Directors 
James  M.  S.  Isenberg,  Henry  T.  Spangler,  James  W. 
Meminger,  Harvey  C.  Gresh  and  Andrew  R.  Brodbeck  was 
appointed  to  arrange  appropriate  exercises.  At  its  first 
meeting,  this  committee  chose  the  Rev.  Calvin  D.  Yost, 
A.M.,  B.D.,  Librarian  of  the  College,  to  act  as  secretary 
to  the  committee.  The  heartiness  with  which  everybody 
participated  in  the  preparations,  and  the  readiness  with 
which  the  distinguished  men  who  were  chosen  to  speak 
accepted  the  invitations  of  the  committee,  presaged  an 
interesting  and  enthusiastic  occasion. 

The  highest  expectations  of  all  those  who  followed 
the  preparations  were  quite  surpassed  in  the  size  and  char- 
acter of  the  assemblage,  the  fitness  and  dignity  of  the 
exercises  and  the  whole-souled  earnestness  and  enthusiasm 
of  the  entire  body  in  attendance. 

While  an  excellent  band  was  discoursing  classic  music 
on  the  campus  on  the  morning  of  the  inauguration,  the 
quiet  grounds  of  the  college  in  their  somber  autumnal 
colors  became  enlivened  into  a  scene  of  activity  and  strik- 
ing beauty.   Crowds  of  visitors  moved  about  as  friend  met 


9 


The  Inauguration 


friend  in  happy  conversation,  while  passing  in  and  out 
of  old  Freeland  Hall,  headquarters  for  delegates  and  guests, 
and  mingling  with  the  crowd,  were  many  representatives  of 
institutions  of  learning  and  of  learned  societies,  in  the  gay 
colors  of  their  degrees  as  represented  in  the  academic  dress 
now  everywhere  in  use  on  such  occasions. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  procession  formed  on  the  Olevian 
walk.  An  imposing  line  of  students  advanced  from  the 
east  campus  and  took  a  position  on  the  main  avenue  to  act 
as  escort.  With  Abraham  H.  Hendricks,  Esq.,  '88,  as 
marshal,  the  procession  marched  with  the  measured  step 
of  an  academic  body  down  the  avenue  to  the  street,  thence 
on  the  sidewalk  to  the  south  entrance  of  the  campus,  and 
thence  to  Bomberger  Hall.  An  idea  of  the  length  of  the 
line  may  be  given  to  those  who  are  familiar  with  this 
route  in  the  fact  that  by  the  time  the  rear  of  the  procession 
had  passed  from  the  Olevian  path  by  the  portico  of  Free- 
land  Hall  into  the  main  avenue,  those  at  the  head  were 
already  entering  the  portal  of  Bomberger  Hall.  Hundreds 
of  people  who  had  assembled  on  the  green  to  witness  this 
scene  both  unique  and  beautiful,  and  enacted  for  the  first 
time  in  Collegeville,  followed  into  the  auditorium,  filling 
the  building  to  its  capacity. 


10 


The  Inauguration  Ceremonies 


The  meeting  was  opened  by  Henry  W.  Kratz,  LL.D., 
Honorary  President  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  who  spoke 
as  follows : 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  Friends  of  Ursinus  College  and 
Fellow-townsmen:  We  are  assembled  today  for  a  high 
and  important  purpose.  The  gentleman  who  has  so  success- 
fully succeeded  his  able  and  distinguished  predecessors, 
and  so  efficiently  and  satisfactorily  discharged  the  duties 
and  functions  of  the  presidency  of  this  institution,  and 
who  so  bravely  and  manfully  faced  and  grasped  its  re- 
sponsibilities, is  about  to  be  formally  invested  with  the  full 
powers  and  prerogatives  of  that  honorable  office.  He  has 
been  tried  under  strong  tests  and  found  worthy  and  well 
equipped  for  the  discharge  of  the  arduous  duties  and 
responsibilities  which  are  involved  in  the  presidency  of  a 
college. 

With  this  assurance  of  his  ability,  fidelity  and  efficiency 
the  Board  of  Directors  resolve  on  this  day  to  inaugurate 
Dr.  George  Leslie  Omwake  as  president  of  Ursinus 
College. 

After  the  singing  of  the  hymn,  "How  Firm  a  Foun- 
dation," by  the  students  assembled  in  the  galleries,  the  Rev. 
James  W.  Meminger,  D.D.,  '84,  read  the  Ninety-first  Psalm 
and  offered  the  following  prayer: 

Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  art  Thou,  Lord  God  Almighty ; 
Thou  art  worshipped  by  the  multitude  of  the  Heavenly 
Hosts  round  about  Thy  throne,  and  Thou  hast  called  Jesus 
Christ  to  worship  Thee.  Thou  hast  crowned  us  with  Thy 
blessings ;  Thou  hast  crowned  our  days  with  Thy  loving 

1 1 


The  Inauguration 


kindness.  We  thank  Thee  for  the  blessings  with  which 
Thou  hast  watched  over  us  during  the  years ;  for  the  acts 
of  our  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  might  have  before 
us  a  man  responsive  to  Thy  truth,  absolutely  potent  to  Thy 
will — the  Son  of  God  and  the  Son  of  Man.  We  behold  the 
marvelous  revelation  of  His  power  through  the  material 
world  over  the  things  of  the  human  soul ;  and  we  thank 
Thee,  our  Father,  that  Thou  hast  given  Him,  the  second 
person  in  the  adorable  Trinity,  to  dwell  in  a  human  body. 

We  thank  Thee,  our  Father,  for  the  influences  and 
forces  in  our  lives  that  have  brought  us  to  this  hour;  for 
the  institutions  of  learning  in  this  grand  land  of  ours; 
this  splendid  body  of  men  and  women  standing  between 
Thy  truth,  with  its  beauty  and  power  and  possibility  for 
human  life,  and  these  on-coming  youths  from  the  homes 
of  our  country.  Help  these  men  and  women,  we  beseech 
Thee,  to  realize  something  of  the  tremendous  responsibility 
that  rests  upon  them.  And  do  Thou  grant  that  every- 
one of  these  youths  may  have  clear  and  fine  ideals  set  be- 
fore him,  and  may  have  all  the  powers  of  his  life  quickened 
into  larger  and  better  being.  We  beseech  Thee  to  let  Thy 
blessing  rest  on  this  institution.  We  thank  Thee  for  the 
men  who  founded  it,  who  stood  and  labored  here  in  the 
stress  and  storm  of  the  early  days — with  what  splendid 
sacrifice,  what  noble  devotion !  We  thank  Thee  for  crown- 
ing their  labors  with  such  splendid  results. 

We  thank  Thee  for  this  man  who  comes  today,  about 
to  stand  at  the  head  of  this  institution,  in  this  the  morn- 
ing of  a  larger  and  better  day.  We  thank  Thee  for  his 
power,  for  his  mental  and  moral  force.  We  thank  Thee, 
Oh  God,  that  he  ever  looks  to  Thee  for  guidance  and  has 
consecrated  his  life  to  the  honor  and  glory  of  Thy  name. 
Strengthen  him  this  day  for  the  appointed  task  in  his  life. 
Bless  the  students  here.    Grant  that  each  one  of  them  may 


12 


The  Induction 


look  upon  life  in  its  largeness  and  affluence  and  improve 
these  fleeting  moments  for  the  enriching  of  their  own  lives, 
that  they  may  enrich  the  world.  Bless  the  directors,  we 
beseech  Thee,  the  faculty  and  all  who  are  connected  in  any 
way  with  this  college.  Bless  each  of  these  institutions 
represented  in  these  services,  that  the  educational  forces 
of  the  world  may  lead  us  to  larger  and  better  things  m 
the  interpretation  of  Thy  truth.  Amen. 

Mr.  Kratz:  I  now  have  the  pleasure  of  introducing 
Mr.  H.  E.  Paisley,  President  of  the  Board. 

The  Induction 

Mr.  Paisley:  Honorary  President,  Members  of  the 
Board  of  Directors,  Members  of  the  Faculty,  Alumni, 
Students  and  Guests:  The  occasion  which  brings  us  to- 
gether on  this  seventh  day  of  October  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord,  1913,  is  one  of  no  small  importance,  for  it  is 
to  induct  into  the  high  office  of  President  of  Ursinus  Col- 
lege, George  Leslie  Omwake,  Doctor  of  Pedagogy,  who 
will  be  the  sixth  president  of  this  institution. 

When  it  became  necessary  to  select  a  president  to 
succeed  Dr.  A.  Edwin  Keigwin,  who  found  he  would  have 
to  relinquish  the  office  on  account  of  impaired  health,  and 
the  pressure  of  many  other  duties,  the  Board  of  Directors 
fully  realized  their  responsibility;  for  immediately  there 
came  to  mind  the  great  thought  of  the  founders  of  Ursinus 
College,  which  has  been  incorporated  in  the  Constitution  in 
the  following  language,  namely: 

"The  purpose  of  the  Directors  of  Ursinus  College 
is  to  provide  and  maintain  an  institution  where  the 
youth  of  the  land  can  be  liberally  educated  under  the 


13 


The  Inauguration 


benign  influences  of  Christianity.  The  religious  and 
moral  principles  of  Ursinus  College  shall  always  be 
those  of  the  evangelical  Protestant  Church,  in  essen- 
tial historical  harmony  with  the  principles  represented 
by  him  whose  distinguished  name  the  Institution 
bears." 

In  realizing  that  the  most  important  thing  in  all  the 
world  is  humanity,  and  that  the  next  important  thing 
is  the  proper  education  of  that  humanity,  and  that  the 
next  important  thing  is  to  have  those  to  whom  this  great 
task  can  safely  be  entrusted,  truly  most  serious  thought 
overtook  us.  To  be  true  to  the  trust  handed  down  to  us 
by  the  noble  and  self-sacrificing  founders  and  benefactors 
of  years  gone  by  was  our  only  aim;  to  select  one  who 
would  safeguard  and  continue  and  carry  forward  the  work 
of  Ursinus  College,  started  in  February,  1869,  and  since 
so  well  established,  was  our  sole  purpose;  therefore,  it  is 
with  a  great  deal  of  satisfaction  and  happiness  that  the 
announcement  is  made  to  you  today  that  the  unanimous 
choice  of  the  Board  of  Directors  was  George  Leslie  Om- 
wake,  Pd.D.,  who  is  a  son  of  the  college  and  who  has 
served  the  institution  as  an  instructor,  as  dean  and  as 
vice-president.  The  call  of  the  Board  of  Directors  to  him 
was  to  "come  up  higher." 

We  believe  we  have  chosen  one  well  qualified  to  ad- 
minister the  affairs  of  the  office  on  a  high  plane ;  one  deeply 
interested  in  the  uplift  of  human  kind  through  Christian 
education;  one  who  is  beloved  and  respected;  one  who 
merits,  and  we  believe  will  receive,  the  hearty  and  unlimited 
support  of  those  within  and  those  without  the  college. 

(Turning  to  Dr.  Omwake) 

George  Leslie  Omwake,  on  behalf  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,  it  is  my  pleasant  duty  to  hand  you  the  charter, 


14 


Address  of  the  Retiring  President 


the  seal  and  the  keys  of  Ursinus  College  as  the  insignia 
of  your  office  as  its  president;  and  may  the  richest  bless- 
ings of  our  Heavenly  Father  rest  upon  you  and  the  college. 

Dr.  Omwake:  Mr.  President  and  the  Board  of 
Directors:  I  accept  these  symbols  of  official  authority  and 
solemnly  pledge  to  devote  my  best  energies  to  the  fulfillment 
of  the  responsibilities  which  they  represent. 

Mr.  Paisley  :  It  is  a  pleasure  to  have  with  us  him 
who  recently  laid  aside  the  mantle  of  the  office  of  president 
of  this  institution,  after  having  served  for  a  period  of  five 
years ;  and  most  fitting,  indeed,  it  is,  that  he  should  address 
us  on  this  occasion,  for  we  have  always  been  charmed  with 
his  interest  in  the  development  and  advancement  of  young 
people ;  in  their  equipment  for  life's  duties,  and  his  presence 
and  message  have  always  been  an  inspiration.  I  have  the 
honor  to  present  A.  Edwin  Keigwin,  D.D.,  of  New  York 
City,  the  retiring  president. 

Address  of  the  Retiring  President 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  In  the  few 
moments  that  have  been  allotted  to  me  this  morning  it 
would  be  quite  impossible  for  me  to  do  more  than  just 
put  a  little  touch  of  sentiment  into  an  occasion  which  of 
necessity  must  be  somewhat  marked  by  official  presentment 
and  by  a  certain  semblance  of  dignity.  Not  that  I  would 
depart  in  the  least  from  a  dignified  decorum,  but  my 
heart  speaks  louder  this  morning  than  my  intellect  could 
possibly  speak.  I  have  looked  forward  to  this  day  for 
more  years  than  anyone  here  can  possibly  realize,  for  the 
most  worthy  successor  to  the  office  which  I  now  lay  down. 
From  the  first  day  that  I  knew  Dr.  Omwake  I  loved  him ; 


15 


The  Inauguration 


and  from  that  moment  until  this  hour  that  love  has  grown. 
I  have  seen  this  man  under  circumstances  trying,  to  say  the 
least ;  and,  as  always,  he  was  the  optimist.  I  have  seen  him 
with  burdens  resting  upon  his  shoulders  which  would  cer- 
tainly have  crushed  me  had  they  been  my  unfortunate  posses- 
sion, and  he  has  always  been  able  to  rise  strongly  above 
those  burdens;  and  this  morning,  as  I  come  into  this 
presence,  my  chief  thought  is  the  very  great  obligation 
which  I  owe  to  Dr.  Omwake  for  whatever  little  success 
there  may  have  been  during  my  incumbency  as  President 
of  Ursinus  College.  Had  it  not  been  for  Dr.  Omwake  it 
would  have  been  quite  impossible  for  me  to  do  justice  to  the 
office  of  president  in  addition  to  the  duties  of  my  pas- 
torate. And  when  I  had  the  honor  to  represent  this  col- 
lege in  gatherings  of  a  like  nature  to  this  the  question 
was  oftentimes  asked,  "How  is  it  possible  for  you  to  be 
pastor  of  a  church  and  at  the  same  time  be  president  of  a 
college?"  and  some  of  my  more  jocose  friends  would  re- 
mind me  of  the  circus  rider  who  tried  to  straddle  two 
horses.  And  I  can  assure  you  that  the  break-down  referred 
to  was  not  due  to  overwork  in  my  duties  here,  for  if  ever 
a  president  had  a  loyal  band  of  men  to  support  him,  it  was 
the  president  of  this  college.  I  wish  to  express  apprecia- 
tion to  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  former 
President  of  the  Board,  members  of  the  Faculty,  all  the 
members  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  who  without  stint  have, 
through  these  five  years,  sought  to  the  utmost  to  make  my 
years  of  sojourn  here  among  the  most  pleasant  in  every 
respect. 

(Turning  to  Dr.  Omwake). 

Dr.  Omwake,  I  welcome  you  to  this  office  this  morn- 
ing with  my  heart  full  of  gratitude  that  God  gave  you  the 
call  long  before  the  Board  of  Directors  vocalized  that  call. 
I  have  felt  from  the  very  earliest  knowledge  of  you  that 

16 


The  Inaugural  Address 


God  had  singularly  set  you  apart  for  just  such  an  office  as 
this.  I  have  seen  you  in  the  utmost  self-sacrifice  turn  your 
back  upon  opportunities  that  would  have  led  you  perhaps 
into  fields  that  might  have  indicated  great  prosperity  in 
a  worldly  sense.  Your  heart  has  ever  been  here  and  your 
work,  you  evidently  thought,  was  here.  And  today  as  I 
turn  over  to  you  this  office,  I  do  it  with  most  earnest  prayer 
to  Him  who  has  promised  to  go  with  those  who  seek  in 
every  appointed  work  in  life  to  know  and  glorify  the  God- 
Man.  May  God  bless  your  administration  to  the  youths 
who  are  here  gathered  today,  and  may  many  of  these  young 
men  and  young  women  attribute  their  conversion  to  the 
consecrated  atmosphere  of  the  president  of  the  college. 
Amen. 

Mr.  Paisley  :  President  Omwake  will  now  deliver  his 
inaugural  address. 

The  Inaugural  Address 

Mr.  Chairman:  In  accepting  the  call  to  the  presidency 
of  Ursinus  College,  I  would  be  untrue  to  the  most  sacred 
impulse  of  my  heart  if  I  did  not  first  of  all  profess  that 
in  doing  so  I  am  prompted  by  the  resistless  power  of  love 
for  the  college.  You  may  be  mistaken  in  your  estimate 
of  my  ability  to  serve  the  institution  in  this  high  office,  but 
you  are  not  mistaken  in  assuming  that  what  service  I  may 
render  will  be  offered  in  unalloyed  devotion. 

There  are  a  few  motives  entering  into  the  compelling 
dictate  of  conscience  which  bids  me  accept  the  responsi- 
bilities you  have  laid  upon  me,  that  we  do  well  to  consider 
at  the  very  outset,  for  they  should  serve  to  grip  the  soul 
of  every  man  who  is  responsive  to  the  needs  of  his  fellow- 
men  and  to  the  will  of  God. 


17 


The  Inauguration 


In  the  first  place,  he  who  serves  a  college  serves  his 
country.  The  college  is  the  crucible  which  converts  the 
teeming  masses  of  volatile  youth  on  the  one  hand  into  the 
settled,  law-abiding  citizenship  of  our  country  on  the  other. 
The  college  has  the  unparalleled  task  of  preparing  the 
leaders  for  all  the  more  advanced  agencies  of  civilization. 
Less  capable  men  will  not  do  in  the  complex  maze  of  forces 
making  up  our  modern  life.  In  the  more  or  less  dimly 
realized  struggle  by  which,  in  response  to  a  new  ethical 
standard  and  a  quickened  public  conscience,  not  only  our 
own  land  but  every  nation  on  the  face  of  the  earth  is 
trying  to  lift  itself  to  a  higher  plane  of  action,  the  oppor- 
tunity to  serve  our  country  through  our  colleges  in  our 
day  rises  to  the  rank  of  that  which  in  an  earlier  age  lay 
before  our  nation's  founders,  and  later,  before  its  defenders. 
To  take  our  talented  youth  and  fit  them  for  leadership  in 
our  national  life  is  a  supremely  patriotic  duty. 

But  rising  above  the  motive  of  patriotism  is  that  of 
human  helpfulness.  Above  the  service  which  the  college 
president  may  render  to  his  country  is  that  which  he  may 
render  to  his  fellowman.  An  experience  of  more  than  a 
decade  in  dealing  with  young  persons  aspiring  to  go  to 
college  has  served  to  impress  me  deeply  with  the  fact  that 
here  is  a  point  of  contact  that  presents  a  rare  opportunity 
for  philanthropic  endeavor.  To  pilot  a  young  life  that  is 
being  tossed  about  in  the  fitful  maelstrom  of  adolescent 
youth,  guide  it  into  the  calm  haven  of  a  cultural  college, 
instruct  it  in  chart  and  compass,  provide  it  with  a  ballast 
of  solid  learning,  and  then  to  confidently  send  it  forth  in 
full  sail  on  life's  main,  is  a  rare  privilege  indeed.  More- 
over, constant  contact  with  manhood  and  womanhood  in 
its  formative  stages,  when  every  influence  may  have  con- 
structive value  in  the  making  of  character,  serves  to  keep 
burning  the  fires  of  one's  enthusiasm  for  human  worth. 

18 


The  Inaugural  Address 


When  an  educator  ceases  to  be  an  optimist  he  has  already 
ceased  to  be  an  educator.  To  choose  a  career  as  officer  or 
teacher  in  a  college  is  then  to  choose  a  career  that  never 
fails  in  abundant  and  unique  opportunity  to  serve  one's 
fellowmen. 

But  higher  still,  when  one  is  called  to  preside  over  a 
Christian  college,  he  sees  in  it  a  magnificent  opportunity  to 
serve  God.  In  Ursinus  we  have  a  Christian  college,  and  he 
who  would  labor  in  this  institution  in  any  capacity  enjoys 
the  privilege  not  only  of  leading  a  personal  Christian  life 
unmolested,  but  of  rendering  active  service  in  making  the 
college  itself  a  more  effectual  force  in  the  Kingdom  of 
God. 

While  your  call  to  serve  Ursinus  College  is  thus  felt 
to  be  at  the  same  time  a  call  to  serve  our  country,  our 
fellowmen  and  our  God,  this  is  not  all.  In  my  university 
days,  we  used  to  sing: 

"For  God,  for  country  and  for  Yale." 

Ah,  that  is  it.  These  separate  motives  become  irresistible 
when  bound  up  in  the  life  and  destiny  of  one's  Alma 
Mater.  Besides  having  gotten  my  collegiate  training  here, 
I  have  put  a  dozen  years  of  service  into  this  college.  Need 
I  tell  you  that  I  am  bound  to  Ursinus  College  with  bands 
of  steel?  To  every  alumnus  and  former  student,  let  me 
say  that  if  you  find  yourself  lacking  in  devotion  for  your 
college,  render  it  some  service,  and  you  will  come  to  love 
it.  It  was  when  Daniel  Webster  was  fighting  for  the 
interests  of  his  Alma  Mater  in  court  that  he  made  the 
famous  remark: 

"It  is  a  small  college,  sir,  but  there  are  those  who 
love  it." 

Except  for  the  fact  that  he  had  come  to  the  help  of  his 
college  he  doubtless  would  never  have  become  inspired  to 


19 


The  Inauguration 


give  expression  to  that  splendid  sentiment.  It  is  safe  to  as- 
sert, without  making  inquiry,  that  this  was  one  case  in  which 
that  great  lawyer  never  accepted  a  fee.  The  privilege 
of  serving  one's  own  college  rises  to  the  rank  of  moral 
duty. 

With  this  view  of  the  motives  entering  into  the  accept- 
ance of  your  call,  I  now  face  the  special  problems  that  must 
engage  our  attention.  Here  we  come  not  heralding  radical 
"reforms"  or  revolutionary  measures.  There  are  inherent 
in  Ursinus  College  so  many  splendid  ideals,  valuable  work- 
ing principles  and  effective  methods,  more  or  less  fully 
wrought  out,  but  all  falling  short  of  realizing  their  potential 
worth,  that  any  radical  disturbance  of  our  educational  sys- 
tem would  not  only  subvert  the  interests  of  the  college  in 
general  but  would  constitute  a  species  of  vandalism  in  our 
well-ordered  educational  household.  Our  task  is  rather 
to  build  on  the  foundations  already  laid — to  steadily  bring 
into  clearer  relief  our  dominant  ideals  and  purposes,  to 
work  out  in  more  specific  detail  our  fundamental  principles 
of  organization  and  administration,  and  to  bring  all  available 
power  to  bear  in  the  production  of  larger  and  better  re- 
sults. Consequently,  there  will  be  no  sensations,  no  pyro- 
technics in  this  administration  unless  they  are  shot  up  un- 
awares. We  commit  ourselves  and  all  the  forces  we  can 
command  rather  to  a  "term  of  close  confinement  at  hard 
labor."  We  may  be  pardoned  for  giving  expression  to  the 
belief,  however,  that  in  the  long  run  the  process  of 
development  to  which  we  aim  to  apply  ourselves  will 
yield  a  college  that  will  be  both  unique  and  superior  in 
character  and  efficiency  when  judged  by  the  ideals  and 
standards  which  now  prevail. 

Educationally,  and  in  these  matters  I  speak  for  the 
gentlemen  who  are  associated  with  me  in  the  faculty  as 
well  as  for  myself,  we  shall  aim  to  keep  the  claims  of 

20 


The  Inaugural  Address 


intellectual  endeavor  uppermost.  A  man  cannot  be  well 
physically,  sound  morally,  or  happy  spiritually,  who  does  not 
live  up  pretty  closely  to  the  upper  limit  of  his  intellectual 
capacity.  It  is  our  business  to  surround  the  student  with  a 
comfortable  environment,  to  provide  a  type  of  domestic  life 
that  will  be  conducive  to  health  of  body,  to  so  condition  the 
social  life  as  to  favor  good  morals  and  pure  religion,  and 
then  to  keep  him  busy  with  intellectual  tasks.  There  are 
few  joys  that  can  surpass  those  of  intellectual  achievement. 
To  solve  a  problem  may  be  work  but  it  should  not  be 
drudgery.  We  conceive  a  college  to  be  a  place  of  hard 
work  but  withal  of  supreme  happiness. 

In  this  connection  it  should  be  observed  that  the 
general  terms  used  to  define  education  today,  such  as 
"assimilation  of  our  racial  inheritance,"  "adjustment  to  our 
social  environment,"  and  the  like,  fall  far  short  of  defining 
the  individual  effort  involved  in  getting  an  education.  To 
use  a  common  phrase  current  in  other  fields  of  discussion, 
these  representations  of  the  educational  process  lack  "teeth." 
The  college  lad  cannot  take  a  course  of  study  by  merely 
being  "exposed  to  it,"  as  a  father  jocularly  remarked  re- 
garding the  inoculation  of  his  son  with  a  certain  subject  in 
school.  We  are  impressed  rather  with  the  idea  expressed 
in  a  class  room  in  this  building  during  my  own  college  days 
by  Professor  Samuel  Vernon  Ruby,  of  blessed  memory, 
whose  experience  as  a  soldier  filled  his  heart  with  the  mili- 
tary spirit  and  stored  his  mind  with  the  imagery  of  war. 
Rising  to  his  feet,  he  thundered  with  terrific  emphasis, 
reinforced  by  a  vigorous  blow  upon  his  desk,  "There  can  be 
no  progress  in  this  world,  except  by  the  clash  of  minds." 
May  that  conception  continue  to  influence  the  intellectual 
exercises  carried  on  in  this  place. 

A  very  serious  problem  confronting  certain  college 
administrators  today  is  how  to  keep  a  Christian  college 

21 


The  Inauguration 


Christian.  Apparently  denominational  control  has  little  to 
do  with  the  real  problem.  The  most  truly  Christian  institu- 
tion I  ever  attended,  not  excluding  the  theological  seminary, 
was  a  State  institution.  Nor  does  doctrinal  belief  settle 
the  question.  We  must  look,  rather,  to  the  conduct  of  those 
making  up  the  college  for  the  tests  of  its  religious  char- 
acter. We  shall  be  misled  also  if  we  attempt  to  get  at  the 
character  of  an  institution  by  striking  an  average.  Just  as 
a  chain  is  as  weak  as  its  weakest  link,  so  a  college  is  as 
bad  as  the  worst  person  in  it;  and  just  as  a  chain  may  be 
made  vastly  stronger  by  taking  out  the  one  weak  link,  so 
a  college  may  be  made  vastly  better  by  the  single  act  of 
dismissing  one  bad  individual.  A  college  that  is  professedly 
Christian  has  a  right  to  expect  every  person  in  it  to  make 
an  honest  effort,  whatever  may  be  his  belief,  to  act  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  cardinal  principles  of  Christianity,  and 
the  maintenance  of  the  college's  character  requires  that  he 
who  refuses  so  to  do  be  eliminated  from  its  social  body. 

I  must  also  refer  on  this  occasion  to  another  set  of 
duties  and  responsibilities  which  confront  the  college  head, 
namely,  those  involved  in  the  administration  of  its  fiscal 
affairs.  As  a  matter  of  policy,  I  hope  that  Ursinus  College 
will  keep  its  rates  of  tuition  and  its  cost  of  living  at  such  a 
level  that  it  can  continue  to  command  the  patronage  of  self- 
supporting  students  and  those  of  limited  means.  The  re- 
quirements of  our  age  are  enforcing  upon  young  men 
everywhere  the  necessity  of  higher  education.  Thousands 
of  young  persons  are  planning  to  go  to  college  every  year, 
whereas,  a  generation  ago  they  would  have  looked  upon 
such  a  course  as  an  impossible  dream.  These  persons,  with 
noble  self-reliance,  undertake,  in  many  instances,  to  finance 
their  college  courses  unaided.  For  this  class  of  students  our 
doors  must  be  kept  open.  This  precludes  the  possibility  of 
meeting  expenses  from  moneys  received  from  students. 


22 


The  Inaugural  Address 


Even  colleges  whose  charges  are  very  much  higher  than 
those  prevailing  here  must  accumulate  gifts  and  endow- 
ments to  save  themselves  from  financial  failure. 

A  task,  therefore,  to  which  the  present  administration 
must  address  itself  frankly  is  the  increase  of  funds  with 
which  to  maintain  our  growing  work.  This  task  properly 
belongs  to  the  directors  of  a  college,  but  assistance,  and 
perhaps  even  leadership,  in  promoting  the  temporal  welfare 
of  an  institution  may  rightly  be  expected  of  its  president. 
It  is  through  the  president  that  benefactors  may  get  im- 
pressions of  the  worth  of  the  college  and  become  acquainted 
with  its  needs,  while  to  directors  they  naturally  look  for 
assurance  of  safe  business  management  and  activity  in 
building  up  the  material  resources.  On  this  side  of  my 
work  I  shall  be  prompted  by  the  same  motives  and  guided 
by  the  same  principles  as  in  the  building  up  of  the  educa- 
tional life  of  the  institution.  In  all  things  I  shall  rely  on 
the  unreserved  support  of  directors,  faculty,  alumni,  students 
and  friends,  in  which  several  bodies  our  institution  has 
abundant  ability  for  the  accomplishment  of  its  purposes. 

At  this  point  the  students  sang  the  hymn,  "O  God, 
Our  Help  in  Ages  Past." 

Mr.  Paisley:  This  event,  which  is  freighted  with  so 
much  significance,  would  be  incomplete  if  there  was  not  one 
here  to  give  us  a  particular  message  for  the  hour,  which 
should  ring  in  optimism  and  ideals,  which  should  give  us  a 
look  forward  and  not  backward,  and  thus  encourage  us  to 
lay  hold  mightily  on  the  opportunities  that  are  at  hand. 

It  is  gratifying  to  have  grace  this  occasion,  so  full  of 
meaning  and  purpose,  one  who  represents  a  great  institu- 
tion of  learning,  which  was  founded  one  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  years  ago  this  month  (October  22,  1746),  in 
the  spot  which  became  historic  through  a  victory  of  Wash- 


23 


The  Inauguration 


ington  (January  3,  1777)  and  the  convening  there  of  the 
Continental  Congress  (1783),  and  is  now  renowned  for  the 
work  of  the  institution  which  has  prepared  and  fitted  great 
numbers  for  their  career  in  life;  one  who  can  speak  to  us 
out  of  a  heart  filled  with  love  and  devotion  and  experience. 
I  have  the  honor  to  present  John  Grier  Hibben,  Ph.D., 
LL.D.,  President  of  Princeton  University. 

The  Address  of  the  Day 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  I  count  it  a 
great  privilege  to  bear  to  you  upon  this  occasion  the  felici- 
tations of  a  sister  university,  and  to  rejoice  with  you  in  the 
promise  of  the  bright  future  which  lies  before  you  under  the 
administration  of  your  new  president. 

From  the  beginnings  of  your  history  you  have  always 
consistently  maintained  a  certain  type  of  education  which 
has  found  its  justification  in  the  quality  of  the  men  it  has 
produced.  Although  professing  no  creed  of  pragmatism  I 
am  quite  willing  to  accept  the  pragmatic  test  of  any  educa- 
tional system  and  estimate  it  according  to  its  fruitage 
value.  Measured  by  this  standard,  you  may  well  be  proud 
of  the  human  product  of  this  institution,  the  men  who  have 
gone  forth  from  this  place  to  serve  their  day  and  generation. 

As  we  gather  together  at  this  time  to  wish  you  God- 
speed in  the  continuance  of  the  great  work  which  you  have 
undertaken,  it  may  be  well  for  us  to  discuss  for  a  few  mo- 
ments the  central  educational  purpose  which  should  guide  us 
all  as  teachers  in  our  efforts  to  prepare  our  young  men  for 
the  active  duties  of  life.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  sacred 
trust  which  is  peculiarly  ours  as  teachers  may  be  expressed 
in  terms  of  the  supreme  obligation  resting  upon  us  to 
train  our  students  in  the  art  of  seeing. 


24 


The  Address  of  the  Day 


You,  who  have  been  called  to  be  not  only  a  teacher,  but 
in  your  new  office  also  a  leader  of  teachers,  you  should 
have  before  you  an  ultimate  aim,  clearly  defined  in  your 
own  mind,  and  towards  which  the  nature  of  your  curricu- 
lum, the  methods  of  instruction,  and  all  the  influences  of 
this  college  world  should  definitely  and  steadily  contribute. 
And  I  believe  that  such  a  supreme  end,  dominating  policy 
and  determining  procedure,  can  be  most  comprehensively 
expressed  as  the  purpose  to  furnish  to  darkened  eyes  a 
faculty  of  sight  and  to  present  before  them  an  ever-changing 
field  of  vision. 

We  live  in  an  age  where  an  especial  emphasis  has  been 
placed  upon  the  training  of  the  powers  of  observation  as 
the  primary  and  most  essential  feature  of  the  true  method 
of  education.  From  this  point  of  view  knowledge  is  to 
grow  by  means  of  a  more  and  more  intimate  contact  with 
the  world  through  the  senses.  While  I  believe  most  em- 
phatically that  it  is  of  an  inestimable  advantage  to  train 
the  eye  so  as  to  increase  both  the  range  of  vision  and  the 
accuracy  of  minute  discrimination,  nevertheless,  a  more 
profound  and  a  more  significant  phase  of  such  training  is 
the  corresponding  development  of  the  inner  vision.  It  is 
the  eye  of  the  mind  to  which  we  must  give  our  most  care- 
ful concern,  that  it  may  attain  that  power  of  penetration 
which  sees  beneath  the  surface  appearance  and  apprehends 
the  lower  levels  of  meaning  and  significance.  Our  North 
American  Indian  has  been  famed  for  his  almost  abnormal 
power  of  acute  observation.  But  we  must  remember  that  in 
that  primitive  school  of  nature  in  which  he  has  received 
his  rude  training,  there  has  been  also  a  quickening  of  his 
powers  of  inference  so  that  the  things  he  sees  about  him,  the 
forest  trail,  the  smoke  on  the  distant  horizon,  the  flight  of 
birds,  the  drifting  clouds,  all  tell  a  story  which  he  has 
learned  to  interpret,  and  to  adapt  to  his  own  use  and  ad- 


25 


The  Inauguration 


vantage.  It  is  not  what  one  sees  but  what  one  understands 
which  avails — and  every  phase  of  education  should  tend  to 
create  and  develop  this  understanding  mind. 

While  the  outer  eye  may  see  only  two  objects  in  the 
field  of  vision,  it  is  the  eye  of  the  mind  which  sees  in  addi- 
tion the  underlying  relations  which  exist  between  them. 
The  mind  is  capable  of  appreciating  all  that  these  objects 
suggest  as  well  as  all  that  they  directly  reveal.  In  every 
process  of  vision  the  contribution  made  by  the  mind  is  the 
all-important  factor.  The  characteristic  feature  of  scholarly 
thought  is  that  it  is  reflective,  and  reflective  thought  is 
that  which  is  carried  on  in  the  light  which  the  mind  itself 
creates.  By  means  of  this  inner  illumination  the  mind  is 
capable  of  seeing  the  implication  which  is  contained  in  any 
situation  in  the  field  of  vision.  Reason  thus  transcends 
the  actual  scene,  and  apprehends  its  thought  value.  In  this 
faculty  of  interpretation  by  means  of  the  process  of  infer- 
ence, it  is  the  recognition  of  the  casual  connection  between 
the  various  objects  of  our  observation  which  gives  thought 
its  wide  range  and  commanding  power.  The  relation  of 
cause  and  effect  is  something  which  can  never  be  seen 
through  the  senses;  it  is  a  matter  wholly  of  the  mind's 
grasp  of  a  situation.  Plato  has  defined  the  philosopher, 
and  the  definition  applies  equally  well  to  the  scholar,  as  one 
who  possesses  a  synoptic  mind,  that  is,  a  mind  which  sees 
things  together.  Through  this  power  of  seeing  how  things 
hang  together  sure  experiences  are  systematically  correlated, 
and  we  come  to  know  not  merely  a  catalogue  of  facts,  but 
something  also  of  their  underlying  connection,  as  to  how 
and  why  they  are  what  they  are.  To  appreciate  the  uni- 
versal significance  of  the  special  case  and  to  rise  from  the 
mere  fact  to  the  law  which  it  illustrates,  this  is  the  art  of 
seeing.  Whatever  may  be  the  particular  subject  of  our 
study,  we  never  master  it  until  we  have  established  a 

26 


The  Address  of  the  Day 


center  to  which  all  the  significant  lines  of  casual  connec- 
tion definitely  converge.  Every  method  of  instruction, 
every  pedagogical  device,  should  have  in  view,  as  an  ulti- 
mate end,  the  quickening  of  this  casual  sense.  The  success- 
ful physician,  statesman  or  man  of  affairs,  must  possess 
this  ability  of  seeing  the  future  in  the  present — and  this 
can  be  done  only  by  discovering  the  ground  in  reason  which 
is  the  adequate  basis  for  his  prediction. 

This  faculty  of  inner  vision  is  peculiarly  a  power  of 
discrimination.  It  is  said  of  Solomon  when  he  came  to 
the  throne  that  the  most  valuable  gift  with  which  God 
endowed  him  was  that  of  a  discerning  judgment.  Any 
method  of  education  which  is  capable  of  justifying  itself 
must  produce  that  keenness  of  thought  which  cuts  to  the 
central  core  of  a  subject.  The  skilled  fireman  may  give  us 
who  are  teachers  a  suggestive  hint.  In  fighting  the  flames, 
he  is  trained  to  make  a  dash  to  the  heart  of  the  fire.  To 
get  at  "the  heart  of  the  fire,"  to  see  things  from  a  com- 
manding center,  to  be  able  to  separate  the  essential  ele- 
ments of  a  situation  from  the  unessential,  to  discard  every- 
thing which  does  not  bear  directly  upon  the  point  of  issue 
and  thus  secure  a  concentration  of  control, — this  is  the 
greatest  of  all  mental  gifts. 

The  art  of  seeing  also  depends  upon  the  ability  to  ap- 
propriate the  vision  of  another.  There  is  such  a  thing  as 
a  vicarious  experience,  of  seeing  through  the  eyes  of  others, 
hearing  through  their  ears,  and  thinking  their  thoughts  after 
them.  One  of  the  essential  features  of  any  process  of 
education  is  the  training  which  enables  us  to  master  the 
reports  which  come  to  us  from  the  general  thought  and 
work  of  the  world.  We  must  learn  the  secret  of  making 
history  our  servant.  We  cannot  proceed  solely  by  a  method 
of  trial  and  error.  There  is  a  wonderfully  suggestive 
power  in  a  richly  furnished  mind,  in  which  the  experience 


27 


The  Inauguration 


of  the  world  has  been  securely  funded.  If  the  individual 
trusts  in  his  own  experience  alone,  he  is  but  poorly  equipped 
for  a  life  which,  if  it  is  to  prove  efficient,  successful  and 
useful,  must  draw  largely  from  the  wisdom  of  the  past  as 
well  as  that  of  the  present. 

Moreover,  the  training  of  the  student  must  also  be  so 
devised  that  he  will  be  able  to  obtain  a  true  vision  of 
values  in  life.  It  is  only  the  inner  eye  of  appreciation  which 
is  capable  of  estimating  values,  of  determining  what  is 
excellent  and  what  is  not  excellent;  what  is  worth  striving 
for  and  what  not;  what  we  would  fight  for  and  if  need 
be  stake  our  lives  to  win.  Too  little  effort  is  put  forth  in 
the  ordinary  course  of  instruction  to  stimulate  this  sense 
of  appreciation.  We  must  endeavor  to  teach  our  students 
not  only  to  see  things  as  they  are,  but  to  see  things  in  their 
beauty  as  well.  We  must  not  forget  that  this  is  a  world 
of  appreciation  as  well  as  a  world  of  fact.  Beauty  has  a 
place  in  our  thought  as  well  as  utility.  This  sense  of 
beauty  and  of  right  proportion  may  be  fostered  by  an 
appropriate  training  which  tends  to  create  a  critical  judg- 
ment and  taste.  As  one  of  the  results  of  such  a  training, 
the  experiences  of  life  will  naturally  range;  themselves 
in  terms  of  a  series  according  to  their  relative  importance, 
first  things  coming  first.  In  all  our  thinking  and  in  all 
our  doing  we  must  learn  where  to  put  the  emphasis.  There 
is  a  sense  of  proportion,  partly  sesthetical,  partly  ethical, 
which  forms  the  essential  basis  of  culture  on  the  one  hand 
and  the  fundamental  ground  both  of  character  and  of  con- 
duct on  the  other.  This  training  in  value-determination 
we  may  leave  out  of  consideration  in  planning  our  scheme 
of  studies,  and  in  all  our  efforts  to  direct  and  develop  the 
minds  of  our  students ;  but  if  we  do,  we  leave  them  blind 
to  the  beauty  of  nature  and  of  art,  depriving  them  of 
the  deep  inner  resources  of  sesthetical  appreciation,  and 

28 


The  Address  of  the  Day 


render  them  defenceless  when  the  supreme  test  comes 
which  is  to  prove  their  integrity,  their  loyalty  and  their 
honor. 

Our  students  must  also  be  taught  to  see  themselves  in 
a  true  relation  to  the  world  in  which  they  live  and  which 
they  are  called  upon  to  serve.  They  must  learn  to  see 
life  in  a  proper  perspective.  To  be  able  adequately  to 
estimate  one's  own  powers,  to  see  the  world's  needs  and  to 
appreciate  their  claims  upon  us, — this  in  itself  is  a  call  to 
service.  The  educated  man  cannot  enter  as  an  excuse  for 
failure  to  do  his  duty,  the  plea  that  he  did  not  think.  It 
is  his  business  to  think.  It  is  after  all,  the  understanding 
mind  which  fires  the  will  and  incites  the  spirit  to  noble 
endeavor. 

In  the  training  of  our  young  men  there  must  be  above 
everything  else  an  endeavor  to  direct  their  minds  to  see 
the  things  which  are  unseen,  which  give  to  them  an  intima- 
tion of  a  world  about  them  through  which  they  hold  a 
correspondence  with  the  eternal.  Such  a  view  of  transcend- 
ent realities  is  not  due  to  a  weak  credulity  or  to  super- 
stitution  or  to  a  traditional  belief  to  which  we  give  a  for- 
mal and  indifferent  assent,  but  it  finds  its  rootage  deep 
in  the  reason  which  has  been  purified  through  doubt  and 
which  has  been  tested  by  experience,  which  is  able  to  dis- 
cern the  various  lines  of  thought,  of  sentiment  and  of 
purpose  in  life,  all  converging  towards  a  single  point,  and 
from  that  point  to  discover  the  secret  of  seeing  Him  who 
is  invisible. 

The  great  insight  of  life  which  we  must  endeavor  to 
teach  and  which  our  students  must  learn  is  that  view  of 
things  which  will  constrain  them  to  assume  the  postulates 
of  God,  freedom  and  immortality,  in  their  effort  to  con- 
struct a  working  hypothesis  for  a  life  of  duty  and  of 

29 


The  Inauguration 


devotion.  The  teacher's  prayer  may  well  be  that  which 
was  offered  by  the  prophet  of  old:  "Lord,  I  pray  Thee, 
open  Thou  the  eyes  of  the  young  man,  that  he  may  see." 

Conferring  of  Honorary  Degrees 

Presenting  George  Handy  Wailes 

A.  Edwin  Keigwin,  D.D. :  Mr.  President,  I  regard 
it  as  a  very  great  privilege  to  present  to  you  at  this  time 
the  Rev.  George  Handy  Wailes,  A.M.,  of  Philadelphia,  for 
the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  It  has  been 
my  privilege  to  know  Mr.  Wailes  for  many  years.  I  had 
the  honor  of  being  a  very  close  friend  of  his  during  our 
collegiate  days  at  Princeton,  and  early  in  his  college  course 
he  gave  mark  of  those  abilities  which  he  later  developed, 
until  today  he  is  one  of  the  honored  professors  of  this,  our 
beloved  institution. 

Mr.  Wailes  has  distinguished  himself  in  so  many  fields 
of  learning  that  the  degree  we  confer  today  is  one  well- 
merited.  As  pastor  of  a  thriving  church  in  Philadelphia  he 
distinguished  himself  in  the  pulpit.  As  a  professor  in 
Temple  University  of  Philadelphia  he  distinguished  himself 
as  a  teacher,  and  as  the  professor  of  Greek  in  Ursinus  Col- 
lege he  has  shown  continued  mark  as  an  educator.  I 
take  great  pleasure  in  presenting  to  you  George  Handy 
Wailes  that  you  may  now  confer  upon  him  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

President  Omwake:  Professor  Wailes,  it  has  pleased 
the  Faculty  and  Directors  of  Ursinus  College  to  adorn  you 
with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity;  and  in  the  name 
of  the  college  we  hereby  confer  upon  you  all  the  rights, 

30 


Conferring  of  Degrees 


duties,  privileges,  honors,  dignities  and  insignia  which  in 
these  United  States  pertain  to  this  degree;  in  testimony 
of  which  you  are  presented  with  this  diploma,  to  which  we 
have  caused  to  be  affixed  the  signature  of  the  President 
and  the  public  seal  of  the  college. 

(The  same  formula  was  used  in  conferring  the  other 
degrees,  and  is  not  repeated  in  these  proceedings.) 

Presenting  Whorten  A.  Kline 

S.  L.  Messinger,  D.D. :  Mr.  President,  I  have  the 
honor  to  present  to  you  a  worthy  alumnus  of  this  college, 
the  valedictorian  of  the  class  of  '93 ;  a  man  of  broad  learn- 
ing, a  profound  classical  scholar,  an  acknowledged  gram- 
marian; an  authority,  also,  in  the  field  of  Natural  History; 
a  hard  worker,  an  able  preacher,  a  man  of  unswerving 
loyalty  to  his  Alma  Mater, — having  efficiently  served  her 
for  twenty  years  in  the  chair  of  the  Latin  language  and 
Literature ;  and,  for  awhile,  also  as  the  Professor  in  charge 
of  the  Greek  Language  and  Literature;  and  for  the  past 
four  years  as  the  competent  and  successful  dean  of  the 
college.  In  recognition  of  these  merits,  we  present  the  Rev. 
Whorten  A.  Kline,  A.M.,  B.D.,  that  you  may  confer  upon 
him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Letters. 

Presenting  John  Thomson 

James  M.  Anders,  M.D.,  LL.D. :  Mr.  President,  I 
take  great  pleasure  in  presenting  one  of  Philadelphia's  fore- 
most citizens  for  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Let- 
ters, in  the  person  of  the  librarian  of  the  Free  Library 
of  Philadelphia.  Through  his  long  tenure  of  that  office, — 
more  than  two  decades, — his  success  has  been  unbroken. 


3i 


The  Inauguration 


From  a  modest  beginning  in  two  small  rooms  in  City 
Hall,  Philadelphia  (with  a  single  assistant),  the  Free 
Library  has  steadily  grown  until  now  it  can  boast  of  the 
large  central  library  with  its  literary  treasures,  at  the 
Northeast  Corner  of  Thirteenth  and  Locust  Streets,  and 
twenty-three  branches,  as  well  as  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  Travelling  Libraries  and  sixty-five  Deposit  Stations. 

This  gentleman  was  largely  instrumental  in  obtaining 
from  Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie  the  gift  of  one  million  and 
a  half  dollars  for  the  erection  of  thirty  branch  library 
buildings — of  which  thirteen  have  already  been  opened  to 
the  public  of  Philadelphia,  while  the  fourteenth  is  almost 
completed,  and  others  are  in  course  of  construction. 

It  is  my  privilege  to  present  one  who  has  organized 
an  effective  system  of  lectures  for  adults,  and  of  "Children's 
Hour"  instruction,  and  has  arranged  in  cooperation  with 
the  University  Extension  Society,  courses  in  the  lecture 
rooms  of  the  Carnegie  branches ;  one  who  is  an  author  of 
wide  repute,  having  issued  a  series  of  bibliographical  bul- 
letins from  the  Free  Library,  and  published  a  popular 
volume  of  essays  entitled  "Whither  and  Hither,"  besides 
contributing  many  valuable  papers  to  the  Proceedings  of 
the  American  Library  Association  and  various  leading 
periodicals ;  one  who  is  an  acknowledged  authority  on 
bibliography  and  library  administration;  one  who  has  pre- 
pared the  catalogues  of  some  of  the  finest  libraries  in  this 
country,  and  is  a  widely  known  and  popular  lecturer. 

Moreover,  he  is  one  of  the  founders  and  managers 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Home  Teaching  Society  and  Free 
Circulating  Library  for  the  Blind,  and  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Free  Library  Association,  which  has  rapidly  extended  itself 
through  the  State,  and  of  Travelling  Libraries,  together 
with  many  other  useful  collections  in  Philadelphia,  and  in 
this  and  neighboring  States.   He  is  also  a  member  of  many 

32 


Conferring  of  Degrees 


leading  clubs  of  Philadelphia,  among  which  is  the  Franklin 
Inn  Club;  he  was  the  principal  founder  of  the  Philobiblon 
Club,  and  is  President  of  the  Nameless  Club.  His  name 
is  a  household  word  in  city  and  State,  his  fame  not  only 
country-wide,  but  more  than  this,  it  is  international. 

Mr.  President,  such  is  the  renown;  such  are  some  of 
the  more  notable  achievements  of  him  upon  whom  Ursinus 
College  is  about  to  confer  a  signal  honor,  in  the  bestowal 
of  which,  however,  I  feel  strongly  that  she  is  equally  honor- 
ing herself.  It  is  with  peculiar  pleasure,  therefore,  that  I 
present  this  distinguished  candidate — Librarian,  Bibliophile, 
Author,  Lecturer — Mr.  John  Thomson,  for  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Letters. 

Presenting  Anselm  V.  Hiester 

I.  Calvin  Fisher,  D.D. :  Mr.  President,  permit  me 
to  present  to  you  Professor  Anselm  V.  Hiester,  Professor 
of  Political  and  Social  Science  in  Franklin  and  Marshall 
College,  Lancaster,  Pa.  Professor  Hiester  is  a  typical 
representative  of  that  sturdy  stock  of  which  we  are  justly 
proud — the  Pennsylvania  German.  He  received  his  early 
educational  training  in  the  public  schools  of  this  State  and 
Lebanon  Valley  College.  At  an  early  age  he  graduated 
from  Franklin  and  Marshall  College  with  the  highest 
honors.  After  graduation  he  did  post-graduate  work  in 
Columbia  University,  New  York  City.  This  man  today 
is  known  for  his  indomitable  energy,  his  versatility  of 
talent  and  breadth  and  variety  of  attainment.  Further- 
more, he  is  a  gentleman  eminent  alike  for  rich  and  varied 
learning,  profound  scholarship  and  refined  taste.  In  the 
sphere  of  political  and  social  science  he  has  made  for 
himself  a  worthy  and  honored  place.    It  is   because  of  all 


33 


The  Inauguration 


these  attainments  that  I  take  this  singular  pleasure  in 
presenting  Professor  Hiester  to  you,  Sir,  Mr.  President, 
that  you  may  confer  on  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Science. 

Presenting  Aaron  S.  Swartz 

J.  Shelly  Weinberger,  LL.D. :  Mr.  President,  on 
this  supreme  occasion,  Ursinus  College  has  one  of  Mont- 
gomery County's  most  honored  sons  as  a  guest,  the  Hon. 
Aaron  S.  Swartz,  one  of  the  best  known  judges  in  Penn- 
sylvania. He  is  no  stranger  in  these  classic  halls.  In 
Freeland  Seminary  he  was  prepared  to  enter  Lafayette 
College  three  years  before  Ursinus  College  was  born. 

He  is  a  close  and  steady  worker,  his  indefatigable  in- 
dustry and  conscientious  fidelity  to  right  and  justice  being 
his  strongest  characteristics  on  the  Bench.  His  opinions 
are  models  of  clear  statement  and  logical  reasoning,  show- 
ing the  results  of  careful  research  and  earnest  work. 

Firm  in  his  religious  convictions,  he  is  a  model  citizen, 
always  manifesting  an  active  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives  and  in  the  affairs  of  the 
county,  the  State  and  nation.  He  is  dignified,  but  affable 
and  kind  to  all.  His  whole  career  as  a  judge  shows  that 
he  is  desirous  of  enforcing  the  laws  and  administering 
the  proper  punishment  for  crime,  but  also  solicitous  for 
the  reformation  of  the  transgressor. 

I  have  the  honor  to  present  to  you,  Mr.  President, 
the  Hon.  Aaron  S.  Swartz  for  the  honorary  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Laws. 


34 


Conferring  of  Degrees 

Presenting  Cyrus  H.  K.  Curtis 

H.  E.  Paisley  :  Mr.  President,  we  are  honored  today 
with  the  presence  of  one  whose  name  is  familiar  the  world 
around,  a  distinguished  representative  of  the  business  in- 
terests of  our  neighboring  city,  a  respected  citizen  of  the 
county  in  which  this  college  is  the  central  seat  of  higher 
learning,  Mr.  Cyrus  H.  K.  Curtis. 

At  the  age  of  twelve,  he  sold  papers  in  his  native 
city,  Portland,  Maine.  At  thirteen  he  began  publishing 
a  paper — a  four-page  sheet  called  "Young  America." 
From  that  day  to  this,  in  which  he  is  the  presiding  genius 
in  the  largest  publishing  establishment  in  existence,  whose 
weekly  issues  are  counted  by  the  millions  and  penetrate 
to  all  parts  of  the  civilized  world,  his  cereer  has  been 
marked  by  steady  advancement  to  greater  and  greater 
achievement. 

He  represents  a  growing  class  of  business  men  who 
recognize  the  social  obligations  of  industrial  and  commer- 
cial establishments.  Both  in  the  management  of  the  im- 
mense concern  which  he  controls  and  in  the  influence  of  the 
publications  which  it  sends  forth,  there  is  abundant  witness 
of  inherent  desire  on  the  part  of  the  head  to  uplift,  to  cul- 
tivate and  to  refine  all  whose  lives  his  fruitful  spirit 
touches.  His  career  signalizes  in  a  remarkable  way  the 
possibility  of  combining  in  one's  life-purpose  the  ends  of 
personal  success  and  public  welfare. 

On  account  of  his  great  energy,  industry  and  tact, 
his  intellectual  quality,  lofty  ideals  and  moral  worth,  his 
unparalleled  contribution  to  society  in  building  up  the 
standards  of  the  home,  I  have  the  pleasure  to  present 
Mr.  Curtis,  that  you  may  confer  upon  him  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws. 


35 


The  Inauguration 


(After  the  formal  conferring  of  the  degree  by  the 
President,  each  candidate  was  presented  with  the  diploma 
and  adorned  with  the  hood  representative  of  his  degree.) 

The  ceremonies  were  closed  with  the  benediction  by  the 
Rev.  David  Van  Home,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President  Emeritus 
of  the  Central  Theological  Seminary,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 

The  meeting  was  opened  at  2.40  p.  m.,  by  President 
Omwake,  who  spoke  as  follows: 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  We  shall  never  be  able  to 
express  our  indebtedness  for  the  great  kindness  shown  us 
on  this  occasion  by  the  representatives  of  other  institu- 
tions. They  have  come  here  in  large  numbers  and  shown 
us  respect  and  honor  far  beyond  that  which  we  deserve. 
We  cannot  do  more  than  turn  this  afternoon  over  to  them. 

Out  in  the  University  of  Pittsburgh  the  students  speak 
of  the  President  as  "Sammy  Mac."  At  a  meeting  some 
time  ago  I  heard  an  alumnus  describe  him  as  a  "ninety 
horse-power,  six-cylinder  McCormick."  He  is  known  to 
our  craft  not  only  as  the  Chancellor  of  the  University  of 
Pittsburgh,  but  also  as  President  of  the  College  Presidents' 
Association  of  Pennsylvania.  This  is  one  of  the  great 
labor  organizations  of  our  State.  I  have  the  honor  to 
present  to  you  Chancellor  Samuel  Black  McCormick,  who 
will  speak  for  the  College  Presidents'  Association. 


36 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 

Chancellor  McCormick's  Address 

President  Omwake,  Directors,  Faculty,  Students, 
Alumni  and  Friends  of  Ur sinus:  By  reason  of  the  fact 
that  at  this  time  the  speaker  happens  to  be  the  President 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Association  of  College  Presidents,  the 
pleasant  duty  falls  to  him  of  conveying  to  you,  Mr.  Presi- 
dent, the  felicitations  and  the  well  wishes  of  your  fellow 
college  presidents  in  Pennsylvania.  This  duty  is  discharged 
with  a  peculiar  feeling  of  pleasure.  Already,  as  the  re- 
sponsible acting  head  of  Ursinus  for  several  years,  you 
have  endeared  yourself  to  your  associates ;  and  now  that 
you  are  assuming  the  full  title  of  president,  with  such 
extension  of  responsibility  and  authority  as  may  come  with 
it,  the  privilege  of  extending  to  you,  and  through  you  to 
Ursinus  College,  the  greetings  and  congratulations  of  the 
presidents  of  the  sister  colleges  is  a  most  delightful  one. 
For  them  and  for  their  several  faculties,  I  wish  to  express 
the  most  earnest  hope  and  the  confident  expectation  that 
your  administration  may  be  most  successful ;  that  you  may 
experience  rich  joy  in  your  work;  and  that  under  your 
guidance  Ursinus  may  enlarge  her  resources,  extend  her 
helpful  influence,  and  render  such  service  to  the  Church  and 
to  the  State  as  will  rejoice  the  hearts  and  meet  the  ex- 
pectations of  all  who  care  for  the  college  and  desire  its 
prosperity  and  well-being. 

To  be  the  president  of  a  college  in  these  modern  times 
is  no  easy  undertaking.  A  person  reads  with  something 
akin  to  wonderment  of  the  college  president  of  fifty  years 
ago,  with  his  opportunity  for  leisurely  literary  accomplish- 
ment, and  contrasts  the  presidency  of  that  time  with  what 
it  is  today.  The  nerve-racking  cares,  the  tremendously 
pressing  responsibilities,  the  intense,  unceasing  and  varied 


37 


The  Inauguration 


activities  required  of  the  successful  administrator  in  the 
present  day  college  or  university  call  for  the  expenditure  of 
energy  in  such  measure  as  quickly  to  exhaust  vitality  and 
place  upon  the  term  of  service  a  limit  similar  to  that  of 
the  presidency  of  one  of  the  great  financial  corporations. 
Virtue  must  go  out  of  the  man  who  faithfully  adminis- 
ters this  office  today.  The  college  president  must  spend 
himself  literally  without  stint.  He  must  be  scholar,  execu- 
tive, man  of  affairs,  and  withal  he  must  have  in  him  an 
inexhaustible  supply  of  faith,  courage,  enthusiasm  and  per- 
severance. No  man  should  accept  this  office  who  is  not 
conscious  that  he  has  been  called  to  it.  He  will  disappoint 
himself  and  disappoint  his  friends  in  so  doing.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  office  brings  to  the  man  the  largest  oppor- 
tunity for  a  service  rich  in  good  to  Church  and  State  and 
people. 

No  joy  in  life  is  comparable  to  the  joy  issuing  out  of 
the  successful  solution  of  a  difficult  problem;  the  accom- 
plishing of  a  large  undertaking ;  the  rendering  of  a  genuine 
service  to  mankind.  So  measured,  the  college  presidency 
is  most  fruitful  in  the  joy  of  life.  Always  has  this  been 
measurably  so  in  the  educational  history  of  America.  To- 
day it  is  immensely  so  in  the  complexity  of  the  problem 
presenting  itself.  The  office  demands  the  best  that  is  in 
the  man.  High  and  holy  is  the  service  he  renders.  Ac- 
cording to  the  measure  of  his  ability  he  gives  to  his  com- 
munity that  which  is  most  desirable  and  most  essential 
for  their  moral  and  intellectual  well-being. 

In  this  particular  time  we  are  passing  through  a  period 
interesting,  epochal,  dynamic.  The  man  is  in  a  deathless 
sleep  who  is  not  stirred  as  he  contemplates  the  number, 
variety  and  vital  importance  of  the  problems  presented  for 
solution  at  this  time.    Problems  of  finance,  of  politics,  of 

38 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


corporate  control,  of  social  welfare,  of  religion;  problems 
affecting  women  and  children,  the  structure  of  society,  the 
more  or  less  complete  reorganization  of  social  relations ; 
all  these,  so  many,  so  vital,  far-reaching,  extending  into 
every  possible  relationship,  demand  a  citizenship  wise, 
capable,  thoughtful,  courageous,  patriotic,  such  as  America 
in  all  her  history  has  never  required  before.  It  is  the 
college  which  must  furnish  the  leadership  in  this  emer- 
gency. This  leadership  must  have  in  it  the  conservatism 
which  will  not  depart  from  the  past,  and  the  progres- 
sivism  which  will  lead  into  a  better  future.  It  is  the 
college  president  who  must,  by  wise  forethought,  keen 
vision  and  comprehensive  survey  of  events,  guide  the  col- 
lege that  its  product  may  meet  the  nation's  needs. 

The  whole  problem  of  education  is  undergoing  the  same 
test  as  the  other  institutions  of  the  nation.  People  are 
everywhere  inquiring  as  to  what  education  is  and  what  it 
is  designed  to  accomplish.  They  have  been  taught  that 
higher  education  trains  the  man's  mind,  develops  his  under- 
standing, perfects  his  taste  and  makes  him  more  clever, 
with  larger  capacity  to  enjoy  and  to  appreciate  the  very 
best  that  the  world  has  produced.  That  is,  they  have 
been  taught  that  its  chief  function  is  to  make  a  superior 
kind  of  man.  They  have  been  taught  rightly.  But  un- 
fortunately, in  learning  this  high  function  of  education  the 
people  somehow  have  come  to  believe  that  the  college  is 
designed  to  create  a  sort  of  aristocracy  of  the  intellect ;  that 
the  college  man  is  a  superior  person  with  a  kind  of  culture 
denied  the  ordinary  person ;  and  that  he  claims  for  himself 
rights  and  privileges  which  common  people  cannot  enjoy. 
The  college  itself  has  perhaps  helped  to  create  this  impres- 
sion by  teaching  that  knowledge  which  prepares  a  man 
for  the  practice  of  a  profession  is  somehow  inferior,  and 


39 


The  Inauguration 


that  culture  is  some  peculiar  quality  which  distinguishes 
alone  the  man  who  holds  himself  aloof  from  the  world  of 
affairs. 

The  time  surely  has  come  when  we  should  understand 
that  the  function  of  the  college  is  to  train  men  and  women 
to  live,  and  when  we  should  also  understand  that  life  is 
work  just  as  it  is  play.  The  college  and  the  university 
must  consider  it  their  function  to  fit  youth  to  toil  efficiently, 
high-mindedly,  self-sacrificingly,  as  well  as  to  enable  them 
to  appreciate  the  beautiful  things  men  have  written  in 
books  and  the  splendid  and  heroic  deeds  that  men  have 
written  in  the  history  of  the  world.  In  other  words,  the 
college  must  make  our  young  men  and  young  women  un- 
derstand that  the  culture  which  does  not  serve  is  a  false 
culture  and  the  knowledge  which  is  not  put  to  work  is  a 
knowledge  which  is  relatively  useless.  The  keynote  of 
the  college  today  is  the  keynote  of  every  other  institution  in 
America — namely,  efficiency. 

Of  course,  efficiency  is  the  sense  of  enabling  the  in- 
dividual to  live  his  life  and  play  his  part  in  the  development 
of  the  institutions  of  a  great  people  in  a  critical  period 
in  the  nation's  history.  Now,  when  fundamental  principles 
are  being  inquired  into  anew  and  are  made  to  pass  the 
supreme  test;  now,  when  the  institutions  of  America,  even 
the  most  sacred,  are  still  in  question  and  in  process ;  now, 
when  the  most  vital  problems  of  the  nation  are  all  at  once 
demanding  solution;  now  is  the  time  when  our  colleges 
and  universities  and  technical  schools  must  recognize  that 
their  primary  function  is  to  create  efficiency  and  that  their 
high  service  is  to  society  and  to  the  nation.  It  is  not 
enough  today  that  a  man  shall  know  history  and  literature 
and  politics  and  language  and  science.  He  must  become 
something  tremendously  dynamic,  and  into  him  must  be 


40 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


put  the  spirit  which  compels  him  to  throw  himself  with  all 
the  enthusiasm  of  young  manhood  into  the  service  of  the 
people.  He  must  be  made  to  realize  that  in  college  he  is 
accumulating  power,  nor  for  his  sake  but  for  his  country's 
sake.  He  must  be  taught  that  he  is  training  his  faculties, 
not  for  leisurely  enjoyment  but  for  hard,  sustained  work. 
In  working  out  such  an  ideal  chemistry  studied  that  a 
man  may  cure  diseases  or  create  an  industry  is  as  hon- 
orable as  chemistry  studied  to  create  manhood ;  and  in 
either  case  produces  exactly  the  same  amount  of  culture 
and  the  same  amount  of  manhood  and  womanhood.  In 
other  words,  as  long  as  the  nation  has  its  problems  to 
solve  it  must  be  the  function  of  the  college  to  train  men 
efficiently  for  such  high  service. 

To  assume  the  presidency  of  a  college,  therefore,  is 
no  easy  undertaking.  It  is,  however,  a  glorious  oppor- 
tunity. It  challenges  every  capacity  the  man  possesses. 
Well  may  he  aspire  to  expend  himself  in  such  a  service. 
Nothing  save  the  preaching  of  the  Evangel  of  Salvation 
compares  with  it;  nothing  brings  in  such  rich  return  in 
satisfaction  and  in  joy.  You,  Mr.  President,  have  already 
proved  your  fitness  for  this  high  calling.  For  your  as- 
sociates in  our  great  Commonwealth  as  well  as  for  my- 
self I  wish  you  an  administration  full  of  achievement;  and 
as  Ursinus  College  increases  in  resources  and  in  productive 
power  may  the  young  people  who  go  out  from  her  halls 
have  in  them  both  the  capacity  and  the  spirit  which  will 
aid  America  in  solving  her  problems  and  attaining  unto 
her  destiny. 

President  Omwake:  An  organization  of  educators 
that  is  coming  to  command  an  ever  larger  place  in  the 
development  of  the  educational  life  of  the  American  people 


4i 


The  Inauguration 


is  The  National  Education  Association.  For  a  year  or 
so  this  organization  fell  under  the  rule  of  feminine  spirits; 
then  they  felt  it  would  be  necessary,  in  order  to  protect 
themselves,  to  seek  out  the  biggest  man  they  could  find. 
It  is  a  matter  of  congratulation  to  us  here  in  Pennsylvania 
that  all  these  United  States,  among  whom  there  is  great 
rivalry  in  this  Association,  should  have  turned  unanimously 
to  the  Keystone  State  for  this  man.  It  is  a  pleasure  to 
introduce  to  you  this  afternoon  the  president  of  this  As- 
sociation, President  Joseph  Swain,  LL.D.,  of  Swarthmore 
College. 

President  Swain's  Address 

To  be  the  bearer  of  a  message  of  congratulation  and 
good  will  from  the  National  Education  Association  is  an 
honorable  and  a  pleasant  duty.  The  new  hand  which  is 
placed  to  the  plow  today  is  such  as  the  nation  needs  in 
the  cultivation  of  human  lives  and  character.  May  your 
years,  Mr.  President,  be  many  and  your  services  to  the 
young  men  and  women  of  Ursinus  College  be  great  and 
lasting  as  those  of  us  who  know  you  fully  expect. 

In  these  years  of  tremendous  change  and  readjustment, 
no  man  should  leave  the  quieter  and  more  peaceful  work 
of  the  professor's  chair  for  the  position  of  executive  un- 
less he  feels  the  special  call  to  the  particular  services. 
President  Foster  of  Reed  College  has  given  us  the  recent 
assurance  that  two  out  of  three  men  who  are  heads  of 
institutions  of  higher  learning  are  not  filling  their  places 
to  the  satisfaction  of  their  constituents,  because  of  the 
great  complexity  of  the  demands  made  upon  them.  Under 
such  conditions,  the  executive  takes  his  life  in  his  hands. 
But  I  know,  in  the  case  of  our  new  president,  the  call  has 

42 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


come  again  and  again  not  only  from  the  trustees  but  from 
his  own  soul,  and  I  am  sure  whatever  may  be  the  diffi- 
culty without,  your  new  president  will  go  serenely  on  with 
peace  within. 

The  American  college,  like  every  other  living  organism, 
has  to  readjust  itself  to  the  constant  and  persistent  forces 
of  growth.  The  high  school  is  raising  its  standard,  multi- 
plying and  lengthening  its  courses.  There  is  a  decided 
tendency  to  add  to  the  four  years  of  high  school,  one  or 
more  years  of  college  study.  The  State  system  of  education 
from  the  kindergarten,  to,  and  including  the  universities, 
has  made  gigantic  strides  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century. 
One  State  has  recently  given  over  $4,000,000  for  the  bi- 
ennial expenses  of  its  State  university  alone.  Another 
State  this  last  year  has  more  than  doubled,  by  a  fraction  of 
a  mill  tax,  the  annual  income  of  its  State  university.  This 
tremendous  development  means  that  the  private  college 
must  soon  provide  free  tuition,  or  its  equivalent  in  scholar- 
ships, to  all  worthy  and  needy  applicants,  or  lose  some 
of  its  best  students.  We  live  in  an  age  of  specialization 
which  draws  students  with  tremendous  power  to  our  great 
universities  with  highly  specialized  courses.  Sectarian  zeal, 
which  did  much  in  the  earlier  years  to  promote  the  small 
college,  is  waning  in  the  light  of  a  broader  and  less  emo- 
tional religion.  As  men  tend  to  move  toward  the  cities, 
so  the  average  youth  is  attracted  by  the  bigness  and  op- 
portunity of  the  great  universities.  With  all  these  diffi- 
culties which  our  fathers  did  not  have  to  meet,  the  man 
who  undertakes  to  build  strong  and  well  the  small  college, 
must  have  a  clean-cut  and  profound  conviction  in  the 
soundness  of  the  principles  on  which  it  rests,  or  he  will 
not  succeed. 


43 


The  Inauguration 


For  myself,  I  welcome  all  the  great  forces  for  educa- 
tional growth  of  the  age.  I  believe  the  States  of  the 
Union  will  and  should  go  on  increasing  at  a  rapid  rate, 
the  amount  of  appropriations  to  education  elementary  and 
higher.  But  still  there  is  a  place  for  the  private  college 
which  the  State  cannot  fill.  The  separate  private  college 
has  the  weight  of  experience.  The  universities  are  young 
in  this  country.  The  great  majority  of  the  college  men 
and  women  now  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  country  are 
products  of  the  small  college.  When  Ursinus  was  founded, 
Harvard  had  about  600  students,  Yale  about  400.  The 
great  majority  of  colleges  had  not  as  many  as  200  students 
each.  Thus  before  1869  the  history  of  higher  education 
in  the  United  States  was  the  history  of  the  small  college, 
so  whatever  their  Alma  Mater  may  have  been,  the  gradu- 
ates who  are  past  middle  life,  and  are  leaders  in  various 
fields  of  human  activities,  are  products  of  the  small  col- 
lege. The  great  universities  have  each  grown  into  power- 
ful centers  out  of  the  small  college,  or  within  this  period, 
they  have  been  born.  It  still  remains  to  be  proved  that 
their  undergraduate  products  are  the  equal  in  training 
and  mental  and  moral  strength  with  the  college  graduate. 

The  college  now  stands,  as  it  always  has,  for  the 
development  of  manhood  and  womanhood.  Those  speak- 
ing for  the  college  in  the  past  and  in  the  present,  every- 
where sound  this  as  their  keynote,  that  it  stands  for  the 
development  of  those  manly  and  womanly  qualities  which 
are  designated  under  the  head  of  good  character.  For 
this  purpose  the  college  of  limited  numbers  has  a  distinct 
advantage  because  it  is  practicable  for  each  student  and 
teacher  to  know  intimately  all  the  others,  when  not  only 
the  personal,  but  the  community  life  can  be  used  for  the 
good  of  all. 


44 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


The  college  places  important  emphasis  on  the  personal 
contact  between  the  professors  and  students  as  a  powerful 
influence  in  determining  character  and  scholarship.  "The 
college  has  insisted  that  teaching  should  be  personal; 
inspiration  and  leadership  are  quite  as  important  as 
instruction." 

The  college  has  done  a  great  work  in  cultivating  a 
respect  for  scholarship.  It  has  furnished  a  large  band  of 
men  and  women  who  appreciate  scholarship  and  furnished 
the  foundation  on  which,  not  a  few  who  not  only  appreciate 
scholarship,  but  who  after  years  of  subsequent  study,  have 
become  scholars  and  men  of  research. 

The  college  has  done  a  great  work  for  its  immediate 
neighborhood.  Many  a  poor  boy  has  secured  an  education 
at  a  college  near  at  hand  who  otherwise  would  not  have 
secured  one.  Those  words  of  Webster,  used  in  the  cele- 
brated Dartmouth  College  case,  "She  is  small,  but  there 
are  those  who  love  her,"  express  the  feeling  of  the  great 
majority  of  those  who  have  graduated  from  the  small  col- 
lege. I  think  in  general  the  feeling  of  appreciation  for 
Alma  Mater  is  more  intensified  in  the  small  college  than  in 
the  large  one.  How  much  there  may  be  in  that  witty 
remark  of  the  Maine  judge  I  cannot  say,  that  in  the  large 
college,  "the  student  goes  through  more  college,  but  in 
the  small  college,  more  college  goes  through  him." 

I  fully  agree  with  those  words  of  the  late  President 
Harper,  written  after  years  of  experience  in  the  small 
college  and  in  more  than  one  great  university :  "The  future 
of  the  small  college  will  be  a  great  future ;  a  future  greater 
than  its  past,  because  that  future  will  be  better  equipped, 
better  organized  and  better  adjusted." 


45 


The  Inauguration 


There  are  three  features  which  are  characteristic  of  the 
type  of  college  of  which  Ursinus  is  a  representative,  in 
which  I  most  heartily  believe. 

1.  The  resident  college  gives  the  student  an  oppor- 
tunity to  grow  under  the  influence  of  his  fellow  students 
as  they  can  grow,  I  believe,  in  no  other  way.  "The  college 
course,"  as  President  Thomas  has  well  said,  "has  in  view 
the  individual  himself,  as  a  member  of  the  great  human 
race,  whose  inheritance  of  thought  and  emotion  and  specu- 
lation will  in  all  probability  be  forever  closed  to  him  un- 
less he  is  able  to  enter  into  partial  possession  during  his 
college  days.  This  peculiar  college  training  cannot  be  given 
at  any  school  however  good,  and  can  be  best  given  in 
the  residential  college,  situated  outside  of  or  in  the  suburb 
of  a  great  city." 

2.  The  co-educational  college  is  the  typical  American 
college.  To  my  mind,  the  traditional  objections  to  co- 
education in  colleges  are  not  justified  by  experience  in 
those  colleges.  Young  women  are  made  saner  and  stronger 
by  association  with  young  men  in  college,  and  young  men 
are  improved  in  morals  and  manners  by  association  with 
women. 

3.  Lastly,  I  have  never  been  convinced  that  the 
equivalent  of  a  four  years  course  in  training  and  power  in 
a  resident,  first-class  college,  can  be  secured  by  part  of 
the  college  course  being  taken  in  the  professional  school, 
however  excellent  it  may  be.  The  college  set  down  in  the 
midst  of  professional  schools  is  always  more  or  less  dom- 
inated by  the  professional  spirit  rather  than  the  academic 
spirit.  Let  us  keep  as  many  as  possible  of  our  young  men 
and  women  for  four  years  in  the  college  atmosphere  be- 
fore taking  up  the  professional  courses. 

46 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


Now,  Mr.  President,  I  welcome  you  to  arduous  and 
exacting  duties.  In  the  twenty  years  of  service  as  a  col- 
lege and  university  president  I  have  been  so  busy  that  I 
have  not  stopped  to  ask  whether  I  belonged  to  President 
Foster's  two-thirds,  or  one-third,  but  I  believe  that  one 
who  has  the  call  to  the  task  can  have  no  more  exalted 
or  worthy  occupation,  associated  as  he  is  with  the  flower 
of  the  youth  of  the  land,  with  men  and  women  in  the 
faculty,  the  board  and  community,  consecrated  to  a  noble 
service,  than  in  doing  all  in  his  power  to  build  a  strong 
residential  coeducational  college  of  the  highest  rank.  Not 
long  since,  on  a  public  occasion,  the  alumni  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  were  trying  to  express  their  apprecia- 
tion of  the  debt  of  gratitude  that  the  university  owes 
President  Angel.  He  said  in  response,  "I  did  not  make 
the  University  of  Michigan,  the  University  of  Michigan 
made  me."  May  you,  Mr.  President,  in  the  fullness  of 
time,  be  able  like  President  Angel,  surrounded  by  admiring 
alumni  and  friends,  because  of  the  noble  work  you  have 
accomplished  for  the  college,  feel  so  happy  in  the  result 
that  you  can  in  truth  say,  "I  have  not  made  Ursinus  Col- 
lege, Ursinus  has  made  me." 

President  Omwake:  The  gentleman  whose  name 
appears  next  on  the  program  as  the  representative  of  the 
Pennsylvania  State  Educational  Association,  Superintendent 
David  A.  Harman,  is  detained  in  his  home  by  illness.  Pie 
sent  me  a  very  courteous  letter  expressing  his  regrets  at 
not  being  able  to  come ;  and  there  was  not  time  enough 
for  us  to  find  someone  to  take  his  place.  We  shall  there- 
fore pass  on  to  the  next  number  on  the  program.  There 
is  a  reason  why  a  representative  of  the  Ursinus  College 
Alumni  should  have  a  place  at  this  time.    The  graduates 


47 


The  Inauguration 


of  Ursinus  College  have  given  themselves  more  to  the 
public  welfare  than  those  of  almost  any  other  college  in 
the  country.  Most  of  them  have  entered  professions  in 
which  by  self-devotion  and  self-sacrifice,  they  have  labored 
for  the  upbuilding  of  the  race.  It  is  a  source  of  satisfac- 
tion to  me  to  introduce  the  next  speaker,  who  entered 
upon  his  college  course  when  I  was  a  student  and  is  today 
one  of  the  members  of  the  Faculty  of  Princeton  University, 
Professor  Philip  H.  Fogel,  Ph.D.,  '01. 


Doctor  FogeFs  Address 

President  Omwake:  As  representative  of  the  alumni 
of  Ursinus  College  I  beg  leave  to  bring  to  you  their  con- 
gratulations and  sincere  good  wishes  for  the  success  of 
your  administration. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  There  was  a  time  when  the 
loyalty  of  a  body  of  alumni  to  their  Alma  Mater  was  merely 
enthusiasm  and  blind  acquiescence  based  on  the  principle 
that  whatever  is,  is  right.  That  time  has  gone  by.  The 
spirit  of  criticism  is  now  all  pervasive.  Principles,  maxims, 
and  institutions  which  in  the  past  have  had  the  sanction 
of  conventional  approval  are  now  under  fire,  and  quo  war- 
ranto proceedings  have  been  instituted  against  them.  Their 
future  stability  depends  not  upon  the  fact  that  they  have 
existed,  but  upon  their  worth  and  efficiency  in  promoting 
greater  fullness  of  life  in  the  present  and  in  the  future. 
What  is  true  in  matters  moral  and  political  is  true  also  in 
matters  academic.  The  alumnus  of  the  present  is  a  keen 
and  relentless  critic  of  the  actions  and  policies  of  the  per- 
sons entrusted  with  the  administration  of  his  college. 

48 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


Why?  He  criticises,  not  because  he  loves  to  tear  down, — 
for  he  knows  that  destructive  criticism  is  futile.  He  criti- 
cises, not  because  he  is  disloyal,  but  he  criticises  because  he 
is  intensely  loyal  to  his  ideal  of  what  his  Alma  Mater  should 
stand  for,  and  should  be. 

Loyalty  has  been  characterized  as  the  willing  and  prac- 
tical and  thoroughgoing  devotion  of  a  person  to  a  cause. 
There  can  be  loyalty  only  when  there  is  a  cause  to  which 
we  may  be  loyal.  What  is  our  cause?  It  is  to  maintain 
and  increase  the  influence  of  Ursinus  College  as  a  place 
of  sound  learning.  That  means  a  place  to  which  a  man 
may  come  to  claim  his  intellectual  patrimony;  a  place  not 
tossed  about  on  the  waves  of  erratic  radicalism,  but  one 
where  conservatism  means  reasoned  progress ;  a  place  where 
a  man  may  fit  himself  for  a  career  of  service  to  his  God 
and  to  his  fellow  man. 

Such  a  cause,  furthermore,  deserves,  yes,  demands  our 
loyalty,  for  it  goes  beyond  our  private  selves,  it  is  greater 
than  any  or  all  of  us.  Whenever  a  cause  is  social  and 
capable  of  linking  into  one  the  wills  of  all  of  us,  whenever 
such  a  cause  so  arouses  our  interest  that  it  appears  to  us 
worthy  to  be  served  with  all  our  mind,  with  all  our  heart, 
and  with  all  our  strength,  then  that  cause  must  arouse 
within  us  the  spirit  of  loyalty. 

Loyalty  to  a  good  cause  is  valuable  to  him  who  is 
loyal.  His  devoted  activity,  the  surrender  of  his  arbitrary 
self-will,  his  belief  in  his  cause  and  his  love  for  it — all 
these  states  of  mind  are  in  themselves  valuable  to  him  who 
is  loyal.  But  loyalty  is  more  than  this.  The  cause  which 
we  serve  appeals  to  more  than  one.  This,  of  necessity, 
gives  me  fellow  servants.  My  fellow's  loyalty  sets  me  an 
example,  his  loyalty  increases  and  inspires  mine,  for  he 
shows  me  its  worth.    Loyalty  is  infectious.    Each  man's 


49 


The  Inauguration 


loyalty  will  cultivate  it  in  other  men.  Let  us  be  loyal  to 
our  few  things  for  the  spirit  of  loyalty,  secretly  passing 
from  us  to  many  to  whom  we  are  strangers,  may  even 
thereby  make  us  unconsciously  rulers  over  many  things. 

Generalization  without  specification  is  pointless.  In 
order  to  be  loyal  there  must  be  a  worthy  cause  to  call 
forth  that  loyalty.  Therefore  the  college  cannot  expect 
the  loyalty  of  her  alumni  unless  her  affairs  are  admin- 
istered in  a  straightforward  way,  without  internal  poli- 
tics or  external  domination,  in  a  way  which  will  ap- 
peal to  all  but  the  cavilers  as  one  which  has  an  eye 
single  to  the  welfare  only  of  the  college,  and  not  one  of 
personal  glorification.  With  such  a  cause  to  inspire,  no 
alumnus  dare  remain  disloyal.  Now  what  is  the  form  which 
his  loyalty  shall  take?  His  loyalty  must  consist  in  many 
things.  It  is  not  doing  all  in  his  power  to  influence  pros- 
pective students,  though  that  is  part  of  it;  it  is  not  con- 
tributing money  to  the  support  of  the  college,  though  that 
is  part  of  it;  it  is  rather  the  creation  of  an  atmosphere 
both  within  the  college  and  among  all  the  alumni  of  pride 
in  the  college  because  it  is  worthy  of  that  pride,  and  of 
devotion  to  her  welfare. 

Loyalty  is  service.  We  are  under  obligation  to  serve 
whatever  is  true,  and  right  and  holy  with  whole-hearted 
enthusiasm.  We  are  loyal  to  a  cause  only  when  we  will- 
ingly and  thoroughly  devote  ourselves  to  its  service,  and 
when  this  devotion  is  expressed  in  a  sustained  and  prac- 
tical way.  None  of  us  singly  will  ever  have  the  destinies 
of  the  college  in  our  hands,  but  standing  together  with 
you,  Mr.  President,  as  our  leader,  we  can  join  in  making 
it  greater  by  putting  at  the  center  of  all  our  relations  to 
our  Alma  Mater  an  intense  and  unswerving  loyalty. 


50 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


President  Omwake:  In  our  professional  relations  we, 
of  Ursinus  College,  aim  to  recognize  as  far  as  possible 
all  of  the  agencies  entering  into  the  educational  work  of 
the  country.  A  body  of  institutions  that  have  wielded 
a  tremendous  influence  in  the  upbuilding  of  our  State  is 
that  which  is  represented  by  the  thirteen  State  normal 
schools,  the  chief  of  which  are  represented  by  their  re- 
spective heads  or  representatives  on  this  occasion.  It  is  a 
pleasure  to  present  the  dean  of  the  State  Normal  School 
Principals  of  Pennsylvania,  one  whose  whole  life  has  been 
given  to  this  work,  Principal  George  Morris  Philips,  Ph.D., 
LL.D.,  of  the  West  Chester  State  Normal  School. 


Doctor  Philips's  Address 

Mr.  President,  Members  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  In  the  Philadelphia  American 
of  March  5,  1887,  President  Magill,  of  Swarthmore  Col- 
lege, urged  that  a  regular  college  diploma  and  a  college 
certificate  in  pedagogics  be  required  of  all  public  school 
teachers  in  Pennsylvania  after  1895  or  1900.  This  was, 
of  course,  chimerical  for  several  reasons,  one  which  I 
pointed  out  at  the  time  being  sufficient,  namely,  that  if  all 
the  graduates  of  all  the  colleges  in  the  State  were  to  take 
up  teaching,  they  would  not  supply  half  of  the  new  teachers 
needed  in  Pennsylvania  every  year,  to  say  nothing  of  re- 
placing the  thousands  of  old  ones  in  service;  and  this  has 
been  true  ever  since  President  Magill's  suggestion  was 
made. 

But  fortunately  for  the  commonwealth  there  has  been  a 
great  increase  in  the  number  of  college  graduates  teaching 
in  the  public  schools  of  this  State  since  1887.  There  are  no 


5i 


The  Inauguration 


official  records  of  the  number  of  college  graduates  teaching 
in  Pennsylvania  in  that  year,  but  in  1888,  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction  reported  that,  outside  of 
Philadelphia,  of  the  21,168  public  school  teachers  in  Penn- 
sylvania, 233,  or  about  1%,  were  college  graduates;  while 
in  191 1,  the  last  year  reported,  2219  were  college  graduates, 
or  7%  of  the  31,518  teachers  in  the  State,  outside  of 
Philadelphia. 

Of  course  most  of  these  are  teaching  in  the  high 
schools  of  the  State,  which  have  of  late  increased  very 
rapidly,  especially  since  1895,  when  the  State  began  making 
special  appropriations  toward  their  support.  There  were 
in  1911-12,  163 1  college  graduates,  1039  normal  school 
graduates,  and  576  others  teaching  in  the  high  schools  of 
Pennsylvania. 

But  the  great  increase  in  the  proportion  of  college 
graduates  who  have  taken  up  teaching  toward  the  close 
of  the  19th  century  and  thus  far  in  the  20th  century  is 
well  known,  and  has  attracted  much  attention.  The  latest 
published  information  on  the  subject  that  I  have  seen 
(Bulletin  No.  19,  of  1912  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education) 
shows  that  in  37  of  the  leading  universities  and  colleges  in 
the  United  States,  one-fourth  of  the  recent  graduates  be- 
came teachers,  decidedly  more  than  went  into  any  other 
profession;  and  it  is  of  special  interest  on  this  occasion 
to  know  that  from  the  eighteen  of  these  that  would  be 
classed  as  smaller  colleges,  39%  of  the  recent  graduates 
became  teachers. 

Undoubtedly,  many  of  these  did,  or  will,  teach  but 
a  few  years,  before  entering  upon  a  life  profession.  An 
investigation  as  to  the  extent  of  this  would  be  interesting, 
and  important,  but  I  have  seen  no  account  of  any.  But 
the  fact  that  so  many  young  college  graduates  teach  only 

52 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


for  two  or  three  years  to  earn  money,  or  otherwise  get 
ready  to  take  up  law,  medicine,  etc.,  makes  it  really  the 
more  important  that  colleges  should  seriously  and  earnestly 
set  about  the  thorough  and  practical  preparation  for 
teaching. 

This  should  be  done  for  the  sake  of  the  students  and 
for  the  sake  of  the  colleges  themselves,  for  these  graduates 
at  once  begin  to  send  their  students  to  college;  but  most 
of  all  for  the  sake  of  the  public  schools  and  the  thousands 
of  boys  and  girls  who  will  come  under  their  teaching. 
It  is  well  known  among  superintendents  and  principals  of 
schools  that  many,  entirely  too  many,  college  graduates  fail 
sadly  and  unnecessarily  in  their  early  teaching,  and  if  they 
eventually  become  successful  teachers,  it  is  often  only  in 
the  same  way  that  the  famous  oculist  became  so  skillful — 
by  spoiling  his  bushel  of  eyes  in  learning  how. 

The  new  school  code  of  Pennsylvania  provides  that  the 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  may  grant  to  gradu- 
ates of  colleges  and  universities,  approved  by  the  College 
and  University  Council  of  Pennsylvania,  who  have  done 
200  hours  of  work  in  pedagogical  studies,  such  as  psy- 
chology, ethics,  logic,  history  of  education,  school  manage- 
ment, or  methods  of  teaching,  a  provisional  college  certifi- 
cate, valid  for  three  years  of  teaching  anywhere  in  Penn- 
sylvania. The  requirement  of  200  hours  of  pedagogical 
work  and  the  suggestions  as  to  its  nature  came  to  the 
commission  which  framed  the  school  code  from  a  number 
of  the  college  presidents  on  the  College  and  University 
Council  of  Pennsylvania  at  a  meeting  of  the  Council. 
After  three  years  of  successful  teaching,  such  college 
graduates  receive  from  the  Superintendent  of  Public  In- 
struction life  certificates  valid  everywhere  in  the  State. 

53 


The  Inauguration 


Both  the  provisional  and  permanent  college  certificates  are 
teachers*  certificates  of  the  highest  grade  given  in  this 
State. 

Since  the  colleges,  and  especially  the  small  colleges, 
have  become  so  important  a  factor  in  the  preparation  of 
teachers,  I  venture  to  draw  upon  the  experience  of  a  life- 
time spent  in  the  preparation  of  teachers  and  in  the  ob- 
servation and  study  of  thousands  of  graduates  of  all  grades 
and  kinds  of  schools,  in  making  a  few  suggestions  on  this 
important  subject. 

Every  college  and  university  in  the  country  now  wel- 
comes students  who  intend  to  be  teachers,  and  makes  special 
efforts  to  secure  the  best  possible  positions  for  the  con- 
stantly increasing  numbers  of  such  graduates.  Is  it  too 
much  to  ask  that  they  plan  as  seriously  and  carefully  to 
prepare  them  for  their  work  as  they  prepare  prospective 
engineers  or  others,  and  that  this  preparation  be  just  as 
definite,  as  concrete,  and  as  practical  as  the  preparation  for 
engineering  or  anything  else? 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  two  fundamental  needs  of 
most  American  colleges  for  the  better  preparation  of 
teachers  are,  first,  a  more  general  belief  on  the  part  of 
the  college  faculties  that  direct  preparation  for  teaching 
is  worth  while,  and,  secondly,  the  selection  of  college 
faculties  as  much  for  skill  and  success  in  teaching  as  for 
reputation  for  scholarship  and  research. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  the  prevalent  belief  in  college 
faculties  that  pedagogical  training  is  of  little  or  no  value, 
is  partly  due  to  the  exaggerated  claims  made  for  it  by 
some  of  its  advocates ;  but  there  can  be  no  question  that 
sensible  and  practical  training  in  pedagogy  by  men  who 
have  successfully  taught  and  managed  secondary  and 
other  lower  schools  themselves,  and  who  have  also  care- 


54 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


fully  studied  the  philosophy  and  theory  of  education,  sup- 
plemented by  skillfully  supervised  practice  teaching  in  good 
schools,  will  prevent  many  young  college  graduates  from 
making  sad  failures  as  teachers,  and  a  sadder  waste  of  time 
and  discouragement  on  the  part  of  many  thousands  of  their 
pupils. 

The  other  suggestion  is  fully  as  important  for  pros- 
pective teachers,  and  almost  equally  important  for  other 
students.  We  all  know  how  closely  young  teachers  imitate 
their  teachers,  and  the  higher  the  esteem  and  respect  in 
which  those  teachers  are  held  (so  applicable  in  the  case 
of  a  college  student  and  his  professors),  the  closer  is  the 
imitation,  regardless  of  the  totally  different  conditions.  In 
the  normal  school  with  which  I  am  connected  we  have 
excellent  and  helpful  teachers  of  the  science  and  art  of 
teaching,  but  I  believe  that,  after  all,  the  most  effective 
work  in  pedagogy  done  there  has  been  by  scholarly  and 
skillful  teachers  of  the  different  academic  subjects  in  their 
regular  class  work.  And  I  have  no  hesitation  in  affirming 
that  the  first  requisite  for  a  college  professor  of  pedagogy 
is  previous  eminent  success  as  a  teacher  in  lower  schools. 
No  amount  of  university  training  can  make  up  for  this. 

We  in  the  normal  schools  have  long  realized  that 
abundant  opportunity  for  practice  teaching  is  the  most  im- 
portant factor  in  successful  preparation  for  teaching;  and 
as  far  as  possible  this  should  be  in  the  best  regular  public 
schools,  and  not  in  artificially  organized  and  conducted 
model  schools.  I  found  Oscar  Browning's  students  doing 
excellent  work  of  this  sort  at  Cambridge,  England,  fifteen 
years  ago,  and  I  believe  that  almost  any  college  can  arrange 
for  such  practice  for  such  of  its  students  as  are  preparing 
to  teach,  easier  and  more  profitably,  of  course,  if  the  col- 
lege is  in  or  near  a  city  of  considerable  size. 


55 


The  Inauguration 


May  I,  finally,  ask  whether  some  of  the  highly  special- 
ized work  which  a  university  course  gives,  and  sometimes 
requires,  does  not  really  unfit  its  graduates  for  teaching 
boys  and  girls,  and  the  students  in  all  grades  of  public 
schools  are  boys  and  girls,  as  well  as  a  very  considerable 
number  who  are  in  college.  About  ten  years  ago  I  went  to 
Cambridge  with  a  young  relative,  a  graduate  of  a  small  col- 
lege, who  was  entering  Harvard  University.  I  had  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  Professor  Charles  Eliot  Norton,  who  had 
retired  from  active  connection  with  the  university,  but 
whom  I  was  anxious  to  meet  and  to  have  my  young  relative 
meet  also.  Professor  Norton  received  us  very  cordially 
at  his  home  in  the  suburbs  of  Cambridge,  and,  after  in- 
quiring as  to  the  line  of  work  which  the  young  man 
expected  to  pursue,  he  said,  "A  good  many  young  men 
come  here  from  other  colleges  and  universities  to  take 
work  which  they  cannot  get  there.  Last  winter  at  the  end 
of  the  first  semester,  I  met  a  promising  young  man  who 
had  come  from  the  University  of  Chicago.  I  asked  him 
what  he  was  doing,  and  he  told  me  that  he  had  spent  the 
past  semester  in  studying  the  abdominal  parasites  of  a 
flea !  Good  Heavens !"  said  Professor  Norton,  "to  think 
of  a  young  man  of  parts  spending  six  months  on  the  ab- 
dominal parasites  of  a  flea!"  Is  it  possible  that  there  are 
young  men  and  women  in  the  institutions  which  some  of 
us  manage  who  will  spend  part  or  perhaps  all  of  their 
lives  in  teaching  elementary  subjects  to  boys  and  girls, 
who  are  spending  too  much  time  in  various  lines,  upon 
"the  abdominal  parasites  of  the  flea?" 

I  am  informed  that  more  than  50  per  cent,  of  the 
graduates  of  Ursinus  College  have  taken  up  teaching.  I 
can  personally  testify  to  the  excellence  and  success  of 
some  of  these  teachers,  and  I  am  sure  that  the  college  has 

56 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


done  a  great  work  in  this  direction,  and  that  under  the 
wise  and  energetic  management  of  the  president  whom  it 
is  so  fortunate  as  to  have  secured,  will  do  a  still  greater 
work  of  this  sort,  and  that  along  the  wisest  and  sanest 
lines. 

And  I  bring  to  you,  President  Omwake,  and  to  Ursi- 
nus  College,  the  greetings,  the  congratulations  and  the 
best  wishes  of  the  State  Normal  Schools  of  Pennsylvania. 

President  Omwake:  At  this  point  in  the  program  we 
may  be  pardoned,  I  hope,  for  breaking  through  the  cold  cast 
of  formality  and  yielding  to  a  little  personal  feeling.  While 
the  next  speaker  is  put  down  to  speak  on  the  subject  of 
"The  Acadamies,',  I  am  inclined  to  introduce  him  rather 
as  my  old  teacher  who  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  my 
start  in  life.  It  was  under  him  that  I  began  the  study  of 
Greek.  No  one  ever  ventured  to  enter  his  class  room 
without  studying.  It  was  from  his  great  towering  per- 
sonality that  I  gathered  a  few  of  the  traits  that  have  been 
of  value  to  me  in  other  years.  It  shall  be  our  pleasure  to 
hear  this  afternoon  the  Head  Master  of  the  Mercersburg 
Academy,  William  M.  Irvine,  Ph.D.,  LL.D. 


Doctor  Irvine's  Address 

Mr.  President,  Brother  Delegates  and  Friends:  It  is 
my  privilege  today  to  bear  greeting  from  many  schools  in 
this  and  other  States — schools  that  stand  for  the  moulding 
of  manhood,  for  the  highest  scholarship  of  its  type  to  be 
found  anywhere  in  this  country.  I  have  attended  many 
inaugurations  of  college  presidents,  but  this  is  the  first  time 
I  have  ever  seen  the  school  men  receive  official  recogni- 


57 


The  Inauguration 


tion.  I  take  it  that  we  men  of  the  preparatory  schools  are 
invited  to  this  function  because  your  ideals  and  ours  are 
the  same.  The  men  in  the  schools  as  well  as  the  men  in 
the  colleges  are  trying  to  give  boys  a  great  vision  of  life. 
It  is  our  desire  to  have  them  see  that  all  truly  great  life 
is  lived  with  a  spiritual  outlook  and  on  a  high  level;  that 
it  is  well  to  believe  in  "the  elemental  truths  that  can  never 
be  proved ;"  that  real  culture  is  not  a  narrow  thing  but  the 
unfolding  of  a  power  within;  that  every  educated  man 
should  develop  the  power  to  collect  and  swing  his  whole 
being  into  one  act;  and,  as  Chancellor  McCormick  sug- 
gested, he  should  join  the  working  class,  strong  and  happy, 
among  both  rich  and  poor;  that  he  should  shun  the  idle 
class,  weak  and  miserable,  among  both  rich  and  poor. 

I  am  sure,  Sir,  that  every  man  on  this  platform  to- 
day believes  that  the  attainment  of  these  ideals  is  not 
an  easy  task.  As  Dr.  Henry  Van  Dyke  says,  "To  make 
men  better  is  the  hardest  but  the  finest  work  in  the  world." 
I  know  that  all  who  struggle  with  this  problem  week  in 
and  week  out  will  heartily  agree  with  Dr.  Van  Dyke. 
Failure  in  our  attempts  makes  us  ready  to  believe  with 
Huxley  that  "Education  is  the  learning  to  do  what  you 
don't  want  to  do  at  the  time  you  don't  want  to  do  it." 
When  we  feel  we  all  have  failures — not  many  but  some — - 
then  we  see  the  truth  in  what  our  wittiest  philosopher  of 
the  Middle  West  has  said,  "Yes,  Mr.  Hennessy,  you  can 
lead  a  boy  to  college  but  you  cannot  make  him  think." 

To  have  our  boys  reach  these  ideals  demands  tact, 
personality  and  ingenuity,  akin  to  that  showed  by  an  Irish 
policeman  a  short  time  ago  over  in  New  York.  Mike,  the 
policeman,  reported  at  headquarters  one  morning  and  said 
to  the  sergeant,  "I  have  found  a  dead  horse."  The  ser- 
geant asked,  "Where  did  you  find  him?"    Mike  answered, 

58 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 

"Over  in  Kosciosko  Street;  what  shall  I  do  about  it?" 
The  sergeant  said,  "Report  it  to  the  Department  of  Health." 
Mike  took  pen  and  paper,  sat  down,  scratched  his  head 
and  worked  long  and  laboriously.  Looking  up,  he  said, 
"How  do  you  spell  Kosciosko,  Sergeant?"  The  ser- 
geant, with  a  gesture  of  impatience,  said,  "Aw !  go  on, 
who  is  writing  that  letter?"  Mike  disappeared.  When  he 
returned  half  an  hour  later,  the  sergeant  asked,  "Where 
have  you  been?"  "Sure,  and  I  have  been  out  dragging 
that  horse  around  into  Main  Street." 

To  inculcate  the  highest  ideals  in  education  is  a  hard 
and  discouraging  task.  Every  head  master  feels  that  each 
day  he  runs  the  whole  gamut  of  emotions.  In  one  mo- 
ment he  is  called  upon  to  administer  rebuke  and  in  the 
next  he  must  show  the  tender  sympathy  of  a  woman.  Every 
challenge  that  comes  to  a  teacher  has  in  it  the  element  of 
the  heroic.  It  is  this  element  that  makes  me  a  strong 
advocate  for  football  and  college  entrance  examinations. 
During  one  of  my  years  as  a  student  at  Princeton,  foot- 
ball was  in  the  balance.  Harvard  did  not  put  a  football 
team  in  the  field.  There  were  discussions  pro  and  con 
in  the  newspapers.  I  was  the  Princeton  correspondent  of 
the  New  York  Tribune  and  was  sent  to  have  an  inter- 
view with  President  James  McCosh  in  order  to  get  an 
expression  of  his  opinion  on  the  matter.  I  shall  never 
forget  that  grand  old  man  who  had  made  a  reputation  as 
an  educator  in  two  continents  and  whom  we  all  loved  so 
devotedly.  With  a  magnificent  figure,  his  snow  white 
hair  and  his  flashing  brown  eyes  as  he  paced  back  and 
forth  in  his  library  he  was  a  picture.  He  said,  "You  can 
tell  them  that  it  is  a  hard  game  but  they  might  as  well  get 
used  to  it  for  they  will  have  to  receive  some  hard  knocks 
in  life." 


59 


The  Inauguration 


My  heart  burns  within  me  when  I  recall  the  fact  that 
Ross  Marvin,  who  was  second  in  command  to  Admiral 
Peary  when  the  latter  discovered  the  North  Pole  and 
who  was  the  scientist  on  that  expedition,  also  the  martyr  of 
the  expedition,  being  the  only  man  to  lose  his  life  on  that 
trip,  was  an  instructor  at  Mercersburg.  I  like  to  think 
of  the  heroism  of  one  of  my  own  boys  who  received  a 
Carnegie  medal  for  diving  under  the  ice  and  saving  the 
life  of  a  companion.  It  always  thrills  me  to  think  of  a 
heroic  incident  in  the  life  of  another  Mercersburg  boy 
who  in  the  hour  of  his  death  showed  the  spirit  of  Sir 
Philip  Sydney,  that  knightly  character  of  old.  This  dear 
boy  with  a  companion  was  out  in  a  canoe  on  a  lake  in  the 
Middle  West.  The  canoe  upset.  When  a  man  swam  out 
from  shore,  our  Mercersburg  boy  said  to  the  rescuer,  "Help 
him,  I  can  swim ;  he  can't."  The  boy  who  could  not  swim 
was  landed  safely  on  the  shore,  but  before  the  rescuer  could 
return  our  dear  Mercersburg  boy  had  gone  down.  Senti- 
ment is  a  real  part  of  life  and  every  teacher  who  looks  for 
it  can  find  it  in  his  own  students. 

I  hope  you  will  pardon  me,  Sir,  if  I  say  a  word  of 
a  personal  nature  at  this  point.  I  am  reminded  today 
that  the  man  who  founded  Ursinus  College  was  a  Mercers- 
burg man — one  who  was  the  valedictorian  of  the  first  class 
graduated  in  Mercersburg  more  than  seventy-five  years  ago. 
I  am  also  reminded  today  of  the  fact  that  the  present 
leader  of  Ursinus  is  a  Mercersburg  man  who  nineteen 
years  ago  was  the  salutatorian  of  his  class.  In  scholarship 
and  leadership  your  career  with  us  was  notable.  We  are 
glad  to  see  you  inaugurated  into  higher  leadership  today. 
Your  talents  and  your  achievements  justify  this  confidence. 
In  honoring  you,  Ursinus  College  has  honored  herself.  I 
have  known  personally  all  the  members  of  your  family, 

60 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


your  father,  your  mother — whom  I  rejoice  to  see  here  to- 
day— your  sister  and  your  seven  brothers.  I  have  never 
known  an  Omwake  to  be  a  failure.  You  come  from  stock, 
simple,  sincere,  devoted  to  the  truth  that  has  made  our 
nation  great.  We  are  proud  of  you ;  we  congratulate  you 
heartily  and  we  hope  that  every  dream  you  have  for  this 
institution  will  be  realized.  May  you,  like  Sir  Gerwain 
in  the  fable,  cut  off  the  head  of  the  dwarf  and  liberate  the 
knight  of  splendid  manhood. 

May  God  bless  you  greatly,  my  boy,  in  the  beautiful 
work  to  which  He  has  called  you;  may  He  cause  His  face 
to  shine  upon  you ;  may  He  give  you  victory  and  peace, 
for  His  great  name's  sake. 

President  Omwake:  I  am  particularly  pleased  with 
the  fact  that  on  entering  into  executive  work  in  the  col- 
lege it  is  my  privilege  to  do  so  in  an  age  when  the  colleges 
of  our  State  are  in  such  splendid  cooperation.  There  was 
a  time,  I  understand,  when  there  was  sharp  competition 
among  the  colleges  of  Pennsylvania.  That  day  has  passed 
with  reference  to  our  higher  institutions  of  learning.  I 
doubt  if  any  body  of  men  work  more  hand  in  hand  than 
do  the  heads  of  the  colleges  as  I  have  come  to  know  them 
in  recent  years. 

It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  welcome  to  this  platform  this 
afternoon  the  representative  of  a  sister  institution  in  the 
Reformed  Church.  In  days  past  and  gone  our  fathers 
mingled  together  to  fight  one  another.  I  say  this  without 
complaint  against  them.  They  were  earnest  and  honest  in 
their  contentions.  When  I  read  the  records  of  the  theo- 
logical controversies  which  shook  the  church  fifty  years 
ago,  I  wonder  how  such  a  wonderful  change  could  come 
about  in  half  a  century.   Indeed,  when  the  heads  of  Frank- 

61 


The  Inauguration 


lin  and  Marshall  College  and  Ursinus  College  meet  to- 
day it  is  to  greet  each  other  with  the  strong  hand  of 
Christian  fellowship  and  with  the  feeling,  so  far  as  the 
Church  is  concerned,  that  we  have  a  common  task.  It  is 
thus  I  welcome  the  President  of  Franklin  and  Marshall 
College,  Henry  H.  Apple,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  to  this  platform  to- 
day to  speak  on  "The  Colleges." 

President  Apple's  Address 

Mr.  Chairman,  President  Omwake  and  Directors  of 
Ursinus  College,  Fellow  Delegates,  Ladies  and  Gentle- 
men: It  is  a  privilege,  for  which  I  am  deeply  grateful, 
to  be  present  and  offer  congratulations  on  the  happy  occa- 
sion of  this  inauguration.  The  ceremony  of  this  day  has 
its  relation  primarily  to  this  institution.  I  congratulate  you, 
Directors  of  Ursinus  College,  upon  securing  as  your  presi- 
dent an  alumnus  of  Ursinus,  who  is  in  touch  with  her 
history  and  her  traditions,  a  young  man  of  scholarly  attain- 
ments, sound  judgment  and  deep  sympathy,  who  has  already 
signally  demonstrated  his  fitness  and  found  a  place  in  the 
hearts  of  students  to  whom  he  is  an  able  teacher  and  true 
friend.  It  is  his  by  right  that  you  and  your  constituency 
shall  give  him  both  the  needed  freedom  in  his  work  and 
your  equally  necessary  loyal  and  hearty  cooperation.  I  con- 
gratulate you,  President  Omwake,  upon  the  noble  privileges 
of  service  to  which  you  have  been  called  and  I  trust  your 
administration  may  be  long  and  happy,  fruitful  and  blessed. 
But  the  ceremony  has  also  wider  significance.  I  bear 
felicitations  to  you  in  behalf  of  all  the  institutions  of  the 
Church  with  which  you  are  affiliated  and  for  the  colleges 
of  this  land  which  welcome  you  into  leadership  in  American 

62 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


education.  Upon  the  college  I  am  convinced  rests  a  large 
responsibility  for  the  welfare  of  our  whole  educational 
system,  even  from  the  elementary  schools  which  look  for- 
ward to  it  up  to  the  highest  university  specialization,  which 
forms  an  unbroken  process  to  fit  men  for  the  activities  of 
effective  and  useful  service  in  life.  It  is  significant  that 
in  spite  of  all  the  changes  which  have  taken  place  in  the 
outward  form  of  courses  of  study  in  these  various  educa- 
tional institutions  and  the  many  new  branches  which  have 
been  introduced  to  meet  the  demands  and  needs  of  a 
modern  age  the  purpose  of  the  college  course  has  not 
changed.  It  is  important  that  the  aim  shall  be  the  same 
for  the  future,  for  there  is  a  distinctive  and  essential  fea- 
ture which  dare  not  be  lost  in  the  training  and  discipline 
offered  to  young  men  in  the  life  of  a  standard  college. 
The  chief  function  of  a  college  is  the  making  of  a  man — 
to  develop  and  mould  personalities  into  such  manhood  as 
will  contribute  to  noble  and  serviceable  lives.  Emerson 
directed  attention  to  this  when  he  said,  "The  greatest  enter- 
prise in  the  world  for  splendor,  for  extent  is  the  upbuilding 
of  a  man."  And  certainly  creative  passion  can  manifest 
itself  in  no  higher  way  than  in  the  manufacture  of  men 
whose  business  it  is  to  express  themselves  completely  in 
service  to  their  neighbors.  The  very  foundation  of  an 
educational  system,  if  not  the  fullest  scope,  is  to  send  out 
into  life  healthy,  self-reliant,  service-rendering  men. 

Of  great  importance  in  this  process  is  the  training  of 
the  mind  and  the  development  of  mental  power.  It  is  clear 
that  merely  to  impart  knowledge  is  not  education;  neither 
is  he  the  best  educated  man  who  knows  most  about  things. 
Knowledge,  it  is  true,  must  be  imparted  in  the  course  of 
education — knowledge  of  facts,  knowledge  of  laws  and 
principles.   This  side  cannot  be  minimized  but  it  is  of  little 

63 


The  Inauguration 


value  unless  there  is  such  training  and  discipline  of  the 
mind  as  to  render  it  capable  of  wise  service.  In  this  re- 
spect the  college  plays  a  unique  part  in  American  life.  It 
forms  men  who  can  bring  to  their  tasks  an  incomparable 
morale,  a  capacity  that  seems  more  than  individual,  a  power 
touched  with  large  ideals.  The  college  is  the  seat  of  ideals. 
Men  are  bred  by  its  liberal  training  to  no  skill  or  craft  or 
calling.  They  are  prepared  for  the  whole  of  life  rather 
than  some  particular  part  of  it.  The  ideals  which  lay 
at  its  heart  are  the  general  ideals  of  conduct,  of  right  living 
and  right  thinking,  which  make  them  aware  of  a  world 
moralized  by  principle,  a  world  not  of  interests  but  of 
ideals.  Such  impressions,  such  challenges  to  a  man's  spirit, 
such  intimations  of  privileges  and  duty,  are  not  and  can- 
not be  found  in  the  work  of  professional  schools.  The 
sciences  have  a  necessary  place  in  modern  education  and 
none  would  advocate  the  adoption  of  the  unchanged  classical 
course  of  fifty  years  ago.  Some  knowledge  of  science  is 
a  part  of  a  liberal  education  and  should  be  taught  at  least 
so  far  as  to  enable  graduates  to  enter  the  best  professional 
schools.  But  the  age  of  the  classics  has  not  yet  gone  by.  One 
of  the  classic  tongues,  Greek  or  Latin,  is  the  one  royal  road 
to  a  knowledge  of  all  that  is  finest  in  letters  and  art.  The 
language  of  the  Hellenes  in  beauty,  accuracy  and  power 
is  unequalled  and  Latin  is  essential  to  a  complete  mastery 
of  our  own  native  tongue.  I  am  convinced  the  college 
must  emphasize  to  a  greater  degree  the  tried  classical 
discipline  rather  than  attempt  to  compete  with  technical 
schools.  There  must  be  preserved  in  this  country  the  in- 
stitution, the  college,  which  gives  students  the  old  training 
and  discipline  that  has  been  tested,  under  teachers  con- 
vinced of  its  merits.  This  does  not  eliminate  science  but 
emphasizes  its  value,  not  indeed  for  a  course  of  technical 

64 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


training  but  a  course  in  which  the  culture  of  science  and 
other  liberalizing  studies  are  sought  as  sound  preparation 
for  technical  and  professional  schools  and  for  life.  As  the 
college  does  not  look  on  any  man  as  educated  unless  he 
has  been  taught  to  interpret  the  problems  of  his  own  day 
through  the  lessons  of  the  past  and  has  received  a  knowl- 
edge of  classic  literature,  philosophy  and  civilization,  gain- 
ing discipline  in  the  expression  of  his  own  tongue  through 
the  processes  of  translation,  so  it  does  not  look  upon  any 
man  today  as  fully  trained  for  modern  life  who  has  not 
learned  the  methods  of  the  laboratory  and  laid  a  secure 
foundation  in  science. 

In  this  respect  a  college  curriculum  must  prove 
itself.  How  much  language,  pure  mathematics  and  philos- 
ophy or  sociological,  scientific  and  vocational  studies 
should  be  used,  and  how  to  retain  the  discipline  and  cul- 
ture of  mind  and  give  equipment  for  life  is  the  problem 
to  solve.  Many  experiments  are  being  made  and  no  final 
solution  has  been  found.  But  it  is  only  by  careful,  con- 
scientious, regular  and  systematic  application,  whatever  be 
the  studies  of  the  course,  that  a  discipline  worth  anything 
can  be  secured.  The  student  who  seeks  and  the  college 
which  permits  mental  sloth,  carelessness  and  inaccuracy, 
which  are  the  antithesis  of  good  education,  are  counter- 
acting the  benefits  of  a  college  course  and  paying  too  high 
a  price  for  these  four  years. 

There  is  a  place  in  this  conception  of  education  for 
gymnastics  to  develop  the  material  or  bodily  functions  of 
the  student.  The  body  may  be  the  lowest  part  of  per- 
sonality but  at  the  same  time  it  deserves  consideration  in 
the  development  of  the  whole  man ;  body,  mind  and  soul. 
Walt  Whitman  thus  praises  the  physical  being: 

65 


The  Inauguration 

"If  anything  is  sacred,  the  human  body  is  sacred, 
And  the  glory  and  sweet  of  a  man  is  the  token  of  man- 
hood untainted; 
And  in  man  or  woman  a  clean,  strong  fibered  body  is 
more  beautiful  than  the  most  beautiful  face." 

The  apostle  Paul  views  it  in  the  same  sense  when  he 
says,  "Your  body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  This 
matter  of  physical  fitness  must  be  a  concern  of  the  college 
and  we  need  to  emphasize  the  importance  of  physical  de- 
velopment and  increased  physical  efficiency.  The  man  who 
guides  in  these  is  every  bit  as  holy  as  the  man  who  preaches 
a  sermon  to  feed  our  minds  and  souls.  The  body  must  not 
be  made  a  source  of  shame  but  of  pride.  A  college  owes 
its  students  a  full  chance  to  learn  healthy  exercise  and  for 
daily  indulgence  in  such.  We  dare  not  encourage  the  man 
who  squanders  his  body  and  we  cannot  disregard  the  means 
of  saving  and  strengthening  it.  Every  day  hundreds  of 
persons  are  dropping  out  of  the  ranks  whose  lives  and  use- 
fulness might  have  been  saved  if  more  attention  had  been 
given  to  proper  exercise  and  recreation.  To  our  interest  in 
the  conservation  of  natural  resources  we  ought  to  add  a 
far  greater  interest  in  the  conservation  of  physical  man- 
hood. 

I  am  free  to  confess  my  belief  that  the  best  form  of 
physical  training  for  the  student  is  found  in  games.  Mili- 
tary exercise  and  gymnasium  drill  are  good  enough  for 
those  who  must  be  forced  to  it,  as  they  serve  to  strengthen 
the  muscle  and  keep  the  system  clean  as  well  as  to  teach 
correct  habits  of  carriage  and  graceful  movement.  But  the 
game  in  all  its  varied  forms  not  only  appeals  to  a  boy  but 
by  its  character  stimulates  physical  courage,  individual  initia- 

66 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


tive,  concentration  of  energy,  poise,  judgment,  quick  deci- 
sion, normal  exultation  in  victory  and  laudable  temper  in 
defeat. 

There  have  been  and  are  today  evils  in  athletics.  Many 
of  these  on  the  part  of  the  student  are  the  product  of 
crudity,  inexperience  and  immaturity.  Some  of  them  are 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  attitude  of  the  college  authorities 
has  been  an  alternation  of  indifference,  hostility  and  in- 
dulgence. Too  often  has  it  taken  the  form  of  issuing  rules 
and  regulations  and  too  seldom  has  it  involved  participation 
in  them.  For  many  of  these  evils  the  apathy  of  college 
faculties  is  largely  responsible.  The  value  of  the  game  is 
lost  when  outside  gladiators  are  hired  to  play.  The  athletic 
contest  has  no  value  except  as  the  spontaneous  effort  of 
the  college  man.  The  distinction  between  the  amateur  and 
the  professional  is  not  of  itself  a  moral  distinction  at  all. 
The  professional  athlete  is  as  worthy  of  respect  as  the 
amateur.  Indeed,  there  are  many  professionals  who  are 
better  sportsmen  than  many  amateurs.  But  it  takes  some 
degree  of  intelligence  and  moral  sense  to  recognize  the 
fact  that  it  is  unfair  for  the  professional  athlete  to  play 
as  an  amateur — more  intelligence  and  more  moral  sense 
than  some  undergraduates,  some  alumni  and  even  some 
college  instructors  have  as  yet  attained.  So  long  as  this 
is  a  commodity  purchasable  by  a  scholarship,  the  privi- 
leges of  a  training  table  and  clubhouse  or  the  misguided 
zeal  of  an  enthusiastic  alumnus  so  long  will  colleges  be 
helpless  in  the  hands  of  athletic  professionalism.  When 
we  cleanse  the  inside  of  the  cup  then  only  can  we  regard 
as  natural  that  the  same  man  should  be  scholar  and  athlete 
and  secure  the  fine  traditions  that  make  athletics  one  of 
the  durable  influences  over  youth.  If  in  future  years 
public  life  in  America  shall  become  cleaner,  business  life 

67 


The  Inauguration 


more  honest  and  professional  life  more  elevated,  it  will,  in 
part  at  least,  be  due  to  the  training  in  self-control  and 
idealism  furnished  by  clean  athletics  in  our  colleges. 

There  is  another  sphere  where  college  training  cul- 
minates in  the  development  of  spiritual  power.  Physical 
strength  alone  makes  the  bully.  Mental  acumen  is  the 
tool  of  the  trickster,  deceit,  crime  and  sin.  Spiritual  power, 
the  crown  of  life,  is  the  determining  factor  in  the  highest 
function  of  the  college  in  producing  perfect  manhood.  This 
is  undoubtedly  the  highest  test  of  college  life.  Physical 
development  and  winning  athletic  teams  are  desirable,  but 
the  college  which  is  successful  in  these  and  has  nothing 
else  to  show  is  in  a  pitiable  plight.  To  drill  students, 
however  well,  in  language,  mathematics,  philosophy, 
economics,  science  and  kindred  subjects,  with  no  regard  to 
morality  or  the  higher  spiritual  realities  is  no  less  a  travesty 
on  education.  We  dare  not  stop  short  of  that  discipline 
of  the  will  which  forms  not  only  the  driving  but  the  guid- 
ing power  of  personality  and  makes  the  useful  citizen. 
The  power  is  invisible  and  intangible,  but  it  is  none  the 
less  real,  although  the  process  of  its  growth  is  exceedingly 
subtle.  This  above  all  other  things  is  genuine  college  cul- 
ture. In  the  four  years'  course  it  is  the  demand  of  a  faith- 
fulness, integrity,  honesty,  self-sacrifice  in  play  and  in  work 
which  rounds  out  the  character  and  spirit  of  the  typical 
college  graduate,  fitted  for  a  place  of  service  in  life.  At 
every  step  he  meets  the  moral  problem  and  the  manner 
in  which  he  meets  it  mars  or  makes  the  man.  Dishonesty 
in  the  class  room  is  as  ruinous  as  deceit  on  the  athletic 
field.  Lack  of  truthfulness  in  the  routine  duties  of  pre- 
scribed work  is  as  disastrous  as  failure  and  unfaithfulness 
in  various  daily  activities.  This  life  is  largely  breathed 
in  out  of  a  sustaining  atmosphere  and  shaped  by  environ- 

68 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


ment  until  it  becomes  habitual,  continuous  and  productive. 
A  small  college  is  a  splendid  field  for  the  cultivation  of 
this  discipline  because  of  the  intimate  individual  touch  of 
students  with  each  other  and  with  the  instructors.  This 
individual  touch  is  the  most  valuable  thing  in  college  life. 
To  come  into  intimate  acquaintance  with  a  cultured  in- 
structor of  broad  mind  and  worthy  ideals  is  in  itself  an 
inspiration  to  students  to  live  in  a  clean  and  pure  atmos- 
phere. For  the  sake  of  success  and  manhood  we  must  lay 
broad  the  foundation  of  education  and  prepare  students 
thoroughly  for  life's  career.  It  should  be  the  supreme  joy 
of  the  college  man  to  accelerate  progress  so  that  in  the 
generations  to  come  there  shall  be  less  of  misery,  less  of 
iniquity,  more  of  happiness.  This  is  the  divine  opportunity 
of  the  college  man;  this  is  the  burden  imposed  upon  him. 
To  this  work,  Mr.  President,  you  are  called  in  Ursinus 
College,  and  we  ask  God's  blessing  upon  it. 

President  Omwake  :  The  closing  address  of  the  day 
is  to  be  delivered  by  the  Provost  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  It  is  with  some  emotion  that  I  introduce 
this  speaker.  Somehow  or  other,  those  of  us  who  have 
been  identified  with  educational  work  and  have  come  in 
contact  with  the  great  head  of  our  biggest  university,  have 
come  to  have  a  special  appreciation  of  his  big  brain,  his 
large  heart,  and  his  high  ideals.  There  is  not  a  representa- 
tive on  this  platform  that  does  not  share  this  feeling  with 
reference  to  this  speaker.  On  calling  on  "The  Universities" 
then,  we  shall  hear,  in  our  last  address,  from  Provost  Edgar 
Fahs  Smith,  Sc.D.,  LL.D. 


69 


The  Inauguration 


Provost  Smith's  Address 

President  Omwake,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  As  you 
have  heard,  I  have  been  asked  to  speak  for  the  universities. 
It  was  thought  that  they  would  desire  to  express  them- 
selves on  this  occasion.  Of  course,  there  is  no  question  but 
that  they  do  wish  to  felicitate  Ursinus  College  on  the  step 
she  has  just  taken,  and  they  also  wish  all  good  things  to 
her  under  the  new  president ;  but  have  they  no  message  for 
Ursinus?  I  shall  assume  that  they  have  and  that  they  are 
willing  to  let  me  offer  that  message  in  my  own  way. 

An  experience  of  thirty-seven  years  as  a  teacher  in 
college  and  university  has  given  ample  opportunity  to  look 
about  and  note  changes,  some  progressive,  others  retrogres- 
sive. I  have  learned  that  my  reflections  will  not  please 
all,  for  I  am  one  of  those  who  believe  that  there  is  great 
good  in  old  things.  From  the  old  soil  doth  the  new  corn 
grow.  Yes,  we  need  the  past  to  do  the  work  of  the  pres- 
ent. The  work  of  today  was  begun  in  the  work  done  years 
and  years  ago.  But,  then,  I  mustn't  ring  these  changes. 
I've  indulged  in  them  in  order  to  prepare  you  for  the 
declaration  that  I  am  sure  Ursinus  College  under  her  new 
leader  will  serve  her  constituents,  the  State  and  nation, 
the  better  the  closer  she  adheres  in  her  fundamental  teach- 
ings to  the  plan  adopted  by  her  saintly  founders.  Their 
aim  was  character-making.  To  reach  their  goal,  their 
disciples  were  obliged  to  follow  the  path  of  discipline  and 
drill  as  meted  out  to  them  in  cultural  studies  without  the 
diluting  effects  of  electives  and  palatable  substitutes  for 
those  sterner  subjects  which  require  thought. 

A  crying  evil  of  the  day  among  us  all  is  that  we  do 
not  think.  Every  generation  thinks  less  than  did  that 
preceding  it.    Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  we  are  wafted 

7o 


Greetings  from  Educational  Bodies 


hither  and  thither  by  every  wild  theory  foisted  upon  us 
by  a  sensational  press  and  thoughtless  mercurial  public? 
I  am  confident  every  university  man  will  join  me  in  say- 
ing, "Let  Ursinus  College  adopt  a  broad-gauge,  inflexible 
curriculum  of  studies  which  will  give  the  widest  horizon 
to  her  students,  and  then  make  them  do  the  work.  Permit 
no  foolish  excuses  for  hard  work  undone."  No — let  the 
faculty  map  out  the  curriculum  and  see  to  it  that  the 
student  acquires  the  proper  respect  for  the  word  must! 

In  short,  let  Ursinus  stand  for  honest,  true  scholar- 
ship. Let  every  teacher  in  her  halls  be  animated  with  a 
desire  to  help  his  students  become  men  and  inspire  them 
with  ideals.  Let  that  be  the  first  aim.  Let  the  college 
eschew  those  from  the  teaching  staff  who  are  impelled  by 
selfish  motives  alone,  who  are  looking  only  to  their  own 
aggrandizement,  who  would  sacrifice  longing  souls  that  their 
names  may  appear  upon  the  title  pages  of  books.  Real, 
true  teachers  are  also  investigators,  but  too  many  investi- 
gators fail  sadly  as  teachers.  They  may  point  to  an  isolated 
fact  here  and  there  in  some  branch  of  knowledge,  which 
they  have  brought  to  light,  but  they  cannot  lay  their  hands 
upon  men  or  women  who  are  better  because  they  have  been 
in  contact  with  them  and  have  been  influenced  mightily 
by  them  for  good.  Teachers  are  what  every  college  needs. 
They  have  their  reward. 

Two  years  ago  it  was  my  unexpected  privilege  to  pay 
a  hasty  visit  to  Balliol  College,  Oxford.  For  years  I  had  had 
a  burning  desire  to  look  upon  the  place  that  had  been 
made  almost  holy  in  my  eyes  by  the  work  of  that  great 
master,  Benjamin  Jowett.  My  enthusiasm,  my  intense, 
eager  interest  in  Balliol  and  its  master  influenced  the  por- 
ter to  such  a  degree  that  he  opened  the  chapel  and,  un- 
covering a  seat  draped  in  heavy  mourning,  said,  "You  may 


7i 


The  Inauguration 


sit  there,  Sir.  It  is  the  seat  in  which  I  saw  the  Master 
sit  every  morning  for  twenty-eight  years."  As  I  sat  in 
that  seat,  I  remembered  that  it  was  Jowett  who  had  lifted 
Balliol  College  from  a  very  ordinary  position  among  the 
colleges  of  Oxford  to  the  highest  pinnacle — that  it  was 
Jowett  who  caused  Balliol  to  be  spoken  of  as  the  seat  of 
scholarship — that  it  was  Jowett  who  really  made  Balliol, 
Oxford;  and  there  came  to  me,  too,  the  recollection  that 
when  twenty  years  ago  (1893)  this  great  soul  passed  be- 
yond the  veil,  of  those  who  gathered  about  his  remains  to 
bear  them  to  their  last  resting  place,  there  were  seven 
masters  of  seven  colleges  in  Oxford — all  sons  of  Balliol ; 
and  when  the  news  of  the  sad  event  spread  abroad,  there 
were  in  England's  cabinet,  in  England's  courts  of  justice, 
in  England's  great  army  and  mighty  navy,  in  her  halls  of 
learning,  in  her  abbeys,  cathedrals,  parishes,  and  in  her 
splendid  public  schools,  those  who  paused,  and  recalling  what 
this  brightest  ornament  of  Oxford  had  been  to  them  and  to 
England,  let  pass  from  their  lips  these  words :  "I  feel 
that  there  has  gone  a  glory  from  the  earth." 

And  now,  Mr.  President,  if  you,  your  colleagues  and 
friends  will  be  obedient  to  the  religious  basis  outlined  in 
the  Heidelberg  Catechism  and  pursue  the  cultural  train- 
ing set  by  your  fathers,  firmly  founded  upon  these,  you 
may  confidently  expect  this  college,  bearing  aloft  the  banner 
of  Zacharias  Ursinus,  to  go  forward  to  even  greater  glory 
and  that  you,  its  supporters,  will  be  hailed  as  blessed 
wherever  a  love  of  true  scholarship  and  exalted  learning 
doth  abide. 

President  Omwake:  It  would  be  very  pleasant,  had 
we  the  time,  to  hear  all  of  the  distinguished  gentlemen 
who  honor  us  today  with  their  presence;  but  that  is  out 

72 


Introduction  of  Delegates 


of  the  question ;  and  no  more  fitting  close  could  be  brought 
to  the  spoken  words  in  connection  with  this  celebration  than 
those  which  have  just  issued  from  the  lips  of  the  honored 
Provost  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  However, 
in  order  that  each  representative  may  bear  away  the  im- 
pression that  his  presence  is  appreciated,  I  now  present  the 
Secretary  of  the  Inauguration  Committee,  to  whom  we  are 
indebted  in  larger  measure  than  to  any  one  else  for  the 
success  of  these  ceremonies,  our  Librarian,  the  Reverend 
Calvin  D.  Yost,  that  he  may  introduce  the  delegates,  who, 
in  turn,  will  rise  in  their  places  and  greet  you. 

Mr.  Yost:  Mr.  President,  it  gives  me  pleasure  to  in- 
troduce to  you  the  distinguished  gentlemen  and  ladies  who 
are  guests  of  Ursinus  College  today,  and  representatives  of 
the  institutions  which  are  doing  honor  to  this  college  on 
this  auspicious  occasion. 

(The  delegates  arose  as  they  were  presented  and 
greeted  the  President  and  the  people  assembled.) 

The  ceremonies  were  closed  with  prayer  by  the  Rever- 
end Thomas  R.  Beeber,  D.D.,  of  Norristown. 


73 


List  of  Delegates 


Harvard  University 

Francis  Barton  Gum  mere,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  Litt.D.,  Alumnus 

Yale  University 

Reverend  D.  Webster  Kurtz,  M.A.,  D.D.,  Alumnus 

University  of  Pennsylvania 

Edgar  Fahs  Smith,  Ph.D.,  Sc.D.,  LL.D.,  Provost 

Princeton  University 

John  Grier  Hibben,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  President 
Philip  H.  Fogel,  Ph.D.,  Professor 

Columbia  University 

Lemuel  Whitaker,  Ph.D.,  Alumnus 

Brown  University 

Reverend  Geo.  H.  Ferris,  D.D.,  Alumnus 

Rutgers  College 

William  H.  S.  Demarest,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President 

Dartmouth  College 

Natt  Morrill  Emery,  A.M.,  Alumnus 

Dickinson  College 

Eugene  A.  Noble,  L.H.D.,  LL.D.,  President 

Theological  Seminary  of  the  Reformed  Church  of  America 
Reverend  J.  Frederick  Berg,  Ph.D.,  D.D.,  Professor 

University  of  Pittsburgh 

Samuel  Black  McCormick,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Chancellor 

Williams  College 

Reverend  George  L.  Richardson,  A.B.,  Alumnus 

74 


Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  al 
Princeton 

Reverend  Frederick  W.  Loetscher,  Ph.D.,  Professor 

Auburn  Theological  Seminary 

Reverend  William  J.  Hinke,  Ph.D.,  D.D.,  Professor 

Amherst  College 

Alexander  Meiklejohn,  LL.D.,  President 

Trinity  College  (Connecticut) 

Raymond  G.  Gettell,  A.M.,  Professor 

Jefferson  Medical  College 

H.  Augustus  Wilson,  A.M.,  M.D.,  Professor 

Theological  Seminary  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  th 
United  States 
Reverend  John  C.  Bowman,  D.D.,  President 
Reverend  George  W.  Richards,  D.D.,  Professor 

Western  Reserve  University 
Utley  Wedge,  A.M.,  Alumnus 

Pennsylvania  College 

William  Anthony  Granville,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  President 
Karl  J.  Grimm,  Ph.D.,  Professor 

Delaware  College 

George  A.  Harter,  M.A.,  Ph.D.,  President 

Haverford  College 

Isaac  Sharpless,  Sc.D.,  L.H.D.,  LL.D.,  President 

Franklin  and  Marshall  College 

Henry  H.  Apple,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President 
Anselm  V.  Hiester,  A.M.,  Professor 

Union  Theological  Seminary 

Reverend    Francis    Brown,    Ph.D.,    D.D.,    D.Litt.,  LL. 
President 


75 


Mount  Holyoke  College 

Anna  Lockhart  Flanigan,  Ph.D.,  Former  Professor 

Bucknell  University 

Albert  Rowland  Garner,  M.S.,  M.D.,  Alumnus 

Heidelberg  University 

Reverend  Rufus  C.  Zartman,  D.D.,  Alumnus 

Central  Theological  Seminary 

Reverend  David  Van  Horne,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President  Emeritus 

Lincoln  University 

John  Ballard  Rendall,  D.D.,  President 

Pennsylvania  State  College 

Edwin  Erle  Sparks,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  President 

Lehigh  University 

Henry  Sturgis  Drinker,  E.M.,  LL.D.,  President 

Allentown  College  for  Women 

Reverend  William  F.  Curtis,  Litt.D.,  President 

Lebanon  Valley  College 

George  D.  Gossard,  D.D.,  President 
Hiram  Herr  Shenk,  A.M.,  Professor 

Muhlenberg  College 

George  T.  Ettinger,  Ph.D.,  Professor 

Wells  College 

Kerr  D.  Macmillan,  B.A.,  B.D.,  President 

Swarthmore  College 

Joseph  Swain,  LL.D.,  President 

Smith  College 

Charles  Homer  Holzwartii,  Ph.D.,  Instructor 

76 


Juniata  College 

I.  Harvey  Brumbaugh,  A.M.,  President 

Medico-Chirurgical  College 

Seneca  Egbert,  A.M.,  M.D.,  Dean 

Temple  University 

Russell  H.  Conwell,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President 
Laura  H.  Carnell,  A.B.,  Litt.D.,  Dean 

Walter  B.  Shumway,  D.D.,  Dean  of  Theological  Department 

Hood  College 

Joseph  H.  Apple,  A.M.,  Pd.D.,  President 

Susquehanna  University 

Reverend  Charles  T.  Aikens,  A.M.,  D.D.,  President 

Albright  College 

Clellan  Asbury  Bowman,  Ph.D.,  Dean 

Moravian  Seminary  and  College  for  Women 
Reverend  J.  H.  Clewell,  Ph.D.,  President 

The  American  Philosophical  Society 
Marion  Dexter  Learned,  A.M.,  Ph.D. 

Franklin  and  Marshall  Academy 

Edwin  M.  Hartman,  A.M.,  Principal 

The  Hill  School 

Alfred  G.  Rolfe,  Litt.D.,  Head  Master 

York  Collegiate  Institute 

E.  T.  Jeffers,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President 

The  Mercersburg  Academy 

William  M.  Irvine,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  Head  Master 

Harrisburg  Academy 

Howard  R.  Omwake,  A.M.,  Senior  Master 

77 


George  School 

George  A.  Walton,  A.M.,  Principal 

Schuylkill  Seminary 

Reverend  Warren  F.  Teel,  Ph.M.,  Principal 

Shippen  School  for  Girls 

Mary  D.  Musser,  A.B.,  Instructor 

State  Normal  School,  Millersville 
P.  M.  Harbold,  A.M.,  Principal 

State  Normal  School,  West  Chester 

George  M.  Philips,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  Principal 

State  Normal  School,  Shippensburg 
Jesse  S.  Heiges,  A.M.,  Dean 

Historical  Society  of  Montgomery  County 
Reverend  Thomas  R.  Beeber,  D.D. 

The  Free  Library,  Philadelphia 
John  Thomson,  Librarian 

Department  of  Health,  State  of  Pennsylvania 

B.  Franklin  Royer,  M.D.,  Chief  Medical  Inspector 


78 


Inauguration  Committee 

James  M.  S.  Isenberg,  D.D.,  Chairman 
Henry  T.  Spangler,  D.D. 
James  W.  Meminger,  D.D. 
Hervey  C.  Gresh 
Andrew  R.  Brodbeck 

secretary  to  the  committee 
Rev.  Calvin  D.  Yost 

MARSHAL 

Abraham  H.  Hendricks,  Esq.,  B.S. 


79 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


3  0112  112032138 


URSINUS  COLLEGE 

"An  institution  where  the 
youth  of  the  land  can  be 
liberally  educated  under  the 
benign  influences  of  Christian- 
ity."— The  Founders 


Collegeville,  Pennsylvania 


